Twitch and AT&T are working together to find the best and brightest of future streamers. Titled the Class of 2021, 12 streamers will be selected live on Friday, Nov. 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET on AT&T’s official Twitch channel.
“This custom sponsorship program is about finding the next generation of up-and-coming streamers, celebrating them, and providing the resources and guidance to grow their communities,” Lou Garate, head of global sponsorship sales at Twitch said in a statement. “Creators are the heart of Twitch, and we’re proud to build a program with AT&T that directly connects with our community’s values around creator support.”
Each of the 12 selected streamers will receive mentorship from experienced streamers Alexandra and Andrea Botez, of BotezLive, and SypherPK. Winners will also earn upgrades to the their streaming equipment and studio setup, a sponsored stream from AT&T and the exposure of being featured on Twitch’s homepage and periodic appearances on AT&T’s Twitch channel.
“Collaborating with Twitch on the AT&T Class of 2021 is a unique opportunity for us to elevate up-and-coming voices in the content creation space,” assistant vice president of sponsorships and experiential marketing at AT&T, Sabina Ahmed said. “So many compelling and innovative streamers are just beginning their journey as creators, and it’s an honor for us to help connect them with new audiences, build a loyal community, and provide the right resources to grow their careers.”
AT&T furthering gaming endeavors
AT&T has spent time establishing itself in the gaming market. The company recently partnered with streamer and content creator Tim “TimTheTatman” Betar on content, events and innovation that centered around AT&T’s 5G capabilities.
Earlier this year, AT&T became the Official 5G and Fiber Innovation Sponsor of premium lifestyle brand and gaming organization 100 Thieves with a multiyear, organization-wide, esports team sponsorship.
In March of this year, AT&T created its first-ever livestreamed gaming competition on Twitch titled the AT&T Annihilator Cup. It also launched AT&T Unlocked Games, an all-women’s game developer competition last year.
In the company’s Q3 results announced last month, AT&T reported consolidated revenues of $39.9 billion for the third quarter, a decline from $42.3 billion (-5.7%) in the third quarter last year. The company said separation of the U.S. video business, other divested businesses and lower business wireline revenues contributed to the decline.
Twitch has become an extreme platform for streamers to congregate. The platform has 30 million average daily visitors. 26 million Twitch channels went live last year and since 2011, the brand has had over 67 billion hours of viewership.
