Question 1

What is Twitch?

Accepted Answer

Twitch is **Amazon's wholly-owned subsidiary**, the world's largest interactive live-streaming platform with 31M DAU and 2.5M concurrent viewers. Spun out of Justin.tv (2007) as a gaming vertical on 2011-06-06; Justin.tv shut down 2014-02; **Amazon acquired $970M on 2014-08-25** (outbidding Google/YouTube). CEO **Dan Clancy** (2023-03, succeeding Emmett Shear). UGC creator-driven; since 2019-12 'Just Chatting' is the largest category. Business model: Free ad-supported (no login required to watch

Question 2

🇨🇳 Why is Twitch blocked in China?

Accepted Answer

China's MIIT actively blocks Twitch at the GFW level. This is not Twitch's decision, it's Chinese government policy. Chinese users must use a VPN to reach Twitch.

Question 3

🇷🇺 Why is Twitch blocked in Russia?

Accepted Answer

In 2018-04 Russia blocked huge AWS / Google Cloud IP ranges to block Telegram; Twitch (hosted on AWS) briefly went offline ~1 month; post 2022-02 Ukraine war Roskomnadzor continued pressure, many Russian streamers migrated to YouTube / Trovo / VK Play.

Question 4

🇰🇷 Is Twitch still available in South Korea?

Accepted Answer

**No, Twitch voluntarily exited South Korea on 2024-02-27.** This is NOT a government block — it's Twitch's business decision. Reason: Korean ISP network-usage fees too high, no sustainable profit (CEO Dan Clancy said Korean operating costs were 10× other countries). Gradual downgrade before exit: 2022-09 forced down to 720p → 2023-02 VOD banned → 2024-02-27 full exit. KCC also fined Twitch ₩435M ($327K) in 2024-02.

Question 5

🇸🇰 Is Slovakia really blocked? (Not Korea?)

Accepted Answer

**Yes, Slovakia is really blocked.** ⚠️ Important: in AF3's data, **SK is Slovakia's ISO-2 country code, NOT South Korea**; Korea's ISO-2 code is **KR**. These are completely different: 🇸🇰 Slovakia (SK) — government-level block, same category as China / Russia / Vietnam / DPRK; 🇰🇷 South Korea (KR) — Twitch voluntarily exited (2024-02-27), NOT a government block. Many English sources misread 'SK' as South Korea; refer to ISO-3166 for the correct mapping.

Question 6

Can creators geoblock specific countries?

Accepted Answer

**No.** help.twitch.tv explicitly states: **Twitch does NOT support creator-level geoblocking** — creators cannot block individual countries' viewers. Sharply different from YouTube / Netflix: Twitch is pure UGC + globally reachable by default. If you can't see a stream in your region, only 3 possibilities: (1) government-level block (🇨🇳 CN / 🇷🇺 RU / 🇻🇳 VN / 🇸🇰 SK / 🇰🇵 KP); (2) Twitch exit region (🇰🇷 KR, since 2024-02-27); (3) VPN node quality / local DNS issue. The creator has no say.

Question 7

🎁 What is Prime Gaming?

Accepted Answer

**An Amazon Prime benefit, a cross-promo unique to Twitch inside Amazon's ecosystem.** Amazon Prime members get **1 free Tier 1 sub per month** (value $4.99), swappable across channels — support streamer A this month, switch to streamer B next month. Shared with main sub account — your Amazon Prime membership (~$14.99/mo) automatically includes Twitch Tier 1. An advantage no other streaming platform in Amazon's ecosystem can replicate. Activate: log in to Twitch → avatar menu → 'Prime Subscripti

Question 8

💰 What's the difference between Bits and subscriptions?

Accepted Answer

**Bits are virtual currency (micro-tips), subscriptions are monthly fees (channel perks).** Both run in parallel, both share revenue with creators.

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