The Streamweaver
The sway of the modern-day streamer in today’s culture cannot be understated. In the era of rapidly-evolving content, streamers provide a live experience for an audience craving constant fresh material. The gold standard of streamers in 2019 is Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.
Initially, Blevins was a famous YouTuber making edited gaming videos. His transition into streaming Fortnite is what garnered him his massive audience. Blevins, underneath the banner of Amazon’s Twitch, has acquired over 14 million followers to date. Projections of his streams state that Ninja pulls in roughly 40,000 viewers a week. He is unrivalled in his domain in terms of audience. His run of professional Fortnite streams featuring guests like Drake has made him a household name for a young audience. That’s a big demographic to have and a definite interest for a company like Microsoft.
Microsoft and Mixer
The potential of Ninja did not go unnoticed by Microsoft; now the company has made a play for exclusivity of the Twitch streamer. In an unprecedented deal, Tyler Blevins will only produce content for Microsoft’s Mixer for the next 6 years. It was announced in a tweet by the Fortnite star as “the next chapter”.
The next chapter,https://t.co/lvn9KBjEYq pic.twitter.com/tljVgyM3bG
— Ninja (@Ninja) August 1, 2019
A spokesperson for Microsoft expressed jubilation at their acquisition, touting it as a big step for their new platform. They went on to describe Mixer in detail as “a place formed around being positive and welcoming from day one”. This branding, coupled with the acquisition of Ninja, is a lean into a younger audience that has quickly-changing interests.
The Price Tag of Ninja
League sources have speculated that the 6-year deal offers him $932 million over the course of his tenure, an unreal amount of money for a formerly niche hobby. This price tag can be given a layer of validity when you see that Ninja’s net worth is $17 million. His potential for growth of audience and marketing opportunities is what stacks this offer up with potential legitimacy.
In an interview with CNN, Blevins mentioned that in 2018 he made in the area of $10 million. This comes from sponsorships, ad sales, and subscriptions.
The power of this merger is one that is lucrative to both parties. Amazon’s Twitch will need to scramble for a replacement after losing their largest streamer. Microsoft and Blevins will be enjoying a prosperous partnership that is sure to highlight video games as more than simply child’s play.
