Pokimane moves to YouTube Live

After a decade on Twitch, Imane "Pokimane" Anys signed an exclusive live-streaming deal with YouTube in January 2024 — a significant symbolic loss for Twitch and a continuation of YouTube's creator-acquisition strategy that began with Ludwig in 2021.

Overview

On January 29, 2024, Pokimane announced an exclusive live-streaming deal with YouTube, ending a ten-year tenure on Twitch during which she became one of the most-followed female creators on the platform. Financial terms were not publicly disclosed.

Context

The deal continued YouTube’s ongoing creator-acquisition strategy — Ludwig (November 2021), Dr Disrespect (after his 2020 Twitch ban), Valkyrae (exclusive since 2020), TimTheTatman (2021), LazarBeam, CouRage, and others. Pokimane was notable for being among the first Twitch-native Just Chatting / lifestyle creators to move, as opposed to the gaming-first creators who preceded her.

Reception

Reception was mixed — industry observers framed the move as confirmation of YouTube Live’s continuing momentum against Twitch, while some of Pokimane’s long-time community expressed concern about the loss of native Twitch culture (custom emotes, sub-gifting dynamics) in the transition.