Popular Fortnite streamer Ninja made waves earlier today by announcing that he would be leaving Twitch and would now be streaming exclusively on Mixer. Now, Mixer is trying to entice Ninja fans to their platform with the promise of a free subscription.
Ninja fans who go onto his Mixer channel will be informed that they can “Claim your free subscription to Ninja.” Mixer subscriptions work a bit like Twitch channel subscriptions, and though there are no subscriber-only streams like there are on Twitch, channel subscribers do get a few goodies.
On Ninja’s Mixer channel, subscribers get a small icon next to their username that shows that they are a “supporting community member” as well as 22 custom Ninja emoticons. There are also no ads for subscribers so they’ll be able to enjoy Ninja content with no interruption.
Ninja’s Mixer channel says that the free subscriber offer is a “limited time” deal and that free subscriptions will be available “this month.” There’s no small print but the promotion is unlikely to be extended to September. Ninja is expected to host his first Mixer livestream tomorrow, as part of Lollapalooza, so fans of the former Twitch streamer will want to redeem it before then.
Some may be surprised to see that Microsoft is giving Ninja fans a freebie. Ninja has more than 100,000 followers on Mixer who quickly followed the streamer from Twitch and many of these could have become paying subscribers. Microsoft is believed to have paid Ninja several millions of dollars to move to Mixer and those subscription fees would have been a good way for it to make that money back. The Mixer owner also won’t get any ad revenue from those subscribers.
The decision to embrace Ninja and his many fans could prove lucrative for Microsoft in the long haul, though. On Twitch, Ninja was one of the most subscribed channels, so fans who decide to stick around on Mixer and subscribe for multiple months will help pay back what Microsoft is rumored to have spent on getting Ninja on the platform.
It’s also a good way for Microsoft to get people onto the Mixer platform. While Twitch has an audience bigger than HBO and Netflix, Mixer has struggled to find its footing in the streaming space. Free subs may not make the company any money at this moment, but it could pay off in the longterm.
Source: Mixer - Ninja
