You have spent some time on Twitch and finally, finally, you have achieved the coveted affiliate status so the future looks bright. And then, doubts start creeping in, can you lose your affiliate status on Twitch? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. That’s why we dedicated a whole post about it so that you know the dos and, more importantly, the don’ts of being a Twitch affiliate. So, read on.
How to Check Your Affiliate Status on Twitch
You can check the progress you are making towards reaching your affiliate status on Twitch by looking up Insights Achievements on the left of the Creator Dashboard. The Path to Affiliate achievement will track your progress. You need to earn 4,000 sparks to become an affiliate. If you have not yet reached affiliate, don’t worry! You can get there by completing achievements and earning sparks.
Can You Lose a Twitch Affiliate Status
Once you’re there, however, it is possible to lose your status if you break the rules of the Twitch affiliate agreement. This can happen in many different forms, from playing copyrighted music to harassment and everything in between. If you end up on the wrong side of Twitch’s Terms of Service, you could be looking at a suspension, which would lead to losing your Twitch affiliate status.
Twitch stats show that the main reason people end up losing their Twitch affiliate position is inactivity. Basically, if you’re not active on your channel for a long period of time then you run the risk of being removed. So, if you’re planning on taking a break, it might be worth considering unaffiliating your channel first. Usually, this period is 12 months but it can differ.
Can you lose your Twitch partnership or affiliate status simply by not streaming enough? Not really, if there is some activity, the 12 month period might be stretched.
Then, you must not simultaneously stream on Twitch and another platform as this will result in an instant loss of your affiliate status.
Failing to keep up with the affiliate requirements will also lead to a loss of status. For example, if you don’t maintain an average of three viewers for seven consecutive days, you might lose your affiliate status. So, it’s important to keep an eye on your viewer count and make sure you’re always above the threshold.
Losing the Twitch affiliate exclusivity doesn’t mean losing the account but breaking the terms of service can indeed result in a suspension and an account ban.
The good news is that if you follow the rules and grow, you can aim for a Twitch partnership. It is a more demanding position, so it really depends on you whether being a Twitch affiliate or partner is the better option for you specifically.
Can You Lose Your Affiliate Status on Twitch if You Lose Followers?
Yes, you can definitely lose your affiliate status on Twitch if enough people stop following. To maintain that lucrative position in the catalogs of channels they enjoy watching, affiliates need 500 average viewers per stream.
How Long Do You Have to Be Inactive on Twitch to Lose Your Affiliate Status?
So, can you lose your affiliate status on Twitch due to inactivity? According to Twitch, accounts that haven’t been active for more than a year will be automatically removed from the affiliate program. So if you’re planning on taking a break from streaming, make sure to come back and stream at least once every 12 months. Otherwise, you risk losing your status and all the benefits that come with it.
The Bottom Line
So, can you lose your affiliate status on Twitch? The answer is yes, and there are a few ways it can happen. If you’re not careful, you could find yourself without an affiliate account and no way to get it back. But don’t worry, if you adhere to the rules, you should be fine.
