As Patreon and Substack enter the mix, the livestreaming landscape is dividing creators

Livestreaming is having a moment in 2025 — and it’s bringing some growing pains.

Creator platforms’ push into livestreaming is exposing a deep cultural divide between Twitch’s dedicated streaming community and creators going live on newer platforms.

The format is breaking out of its niche roots, with platforms from Substack to Patreon launching new tools and total livestreaming hours watched rising by 8.9 percent year-over-year, according to Stream Hatchet’s Q1 2025 livestreaming trends report. But as streaming moves beyond its Twitch-native roots, creators are discovering the format means very different things on different platforms, and the result is growing friction.

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