YouTube Superstar PewDiePie Boosts Blockchain Platform with 67% Subscriber Spike
By CCN: Sweden’s Felix Kjellberg AKA PewDiePie, YouTube’s most popular streamer, has been up and running on cryptocurrency startup DLive for a little over a month and is already drawing in the crowds.
DLive’s subscriber numbers are already up 67% since PewDiePie joined the platform. The company has not released official numbers regarding Kjellberg’s specific impact but it’s safe to say that most of their success can be attributed to Mr. Pie’s exclusive streaming deal.
Signing established streamers will be key to stealing market share from current players like Twitch. PewDiePiew has nearly 96 million subscribers on YouTube and has been one of the highest growth channels since 2013 when he took the crown of the most subscribed creator.
Turning the Streaming Model on its Head
The move to DLive comes in direct competition with Amazon subsidiary Twitch.tv. DLive is a Chinese-led initiative looking to capitalize on the disruptive nature of blockchain payments. So much so, that the company is taking the fight directly to Twitch by reducing its cut from creators to zero. That’s right, nada, nil.
Twitch’s model revolves around a whopping 50 percent of all revenue generated by streamers. DLive plans to make the shortfall from processing fees and other means but like so many other startups, the goal is to massively scale first and monetize later.
PewDiePie is donating $12 000 to support new creators on DLive
With revenues declining on YouTube, PewDiePie’s move is obvious. Kjellberg made the following statement before the deal in April:
