Ultra.
Trovo is a live streaming platform that is similar to both Twitch and YouTube Live in terms of features. However, Twitch and YouTube currently have higher numbers when it comes to streamers and viewers. There are pros and cons to Trovo’s smaller size, both of which we’ll break down for you in this blog post.
Trovo Quick Facts
- Created in 2020 (compared to Twitch, which was launched in 2011).
- Roughly 90% of streamers (and viewers) are non-English speaking.
- Earn revenue from subs, gifted subs, and one-time donations.
- ALL monetary contributions are measured in Gems, which the streamer can cash out once they’ve completed the monetization onboarding process.
- Streamers can join Events, both limited-time and long-term, to win more Gems.
- No ads (or ad revenue), though Trovo has stated this will change at some point in the future.
- Largest mobile game streaming community.
How Can I Make Money on Trovo?
To enable monetization on Trovo, creators need to have streamed for at least 5 hours with at least 20 followers. These criteria are much easier to achieve when compared to Twitch, which requires 50 followers and 500 minutes of broadcast time (among other requirements, which you can read about in our post on how to become a Twitch Affiliate). Viewers can subscribe at three different tiers, ($1.99, $4.99, and $8.99, respectively) and Trovo splits this revenue with the streamer 50/50.
Trovo’s revenue system has a few different elements. Viewers can “cast” two different kinds of Spells: Mana, which have no monetary value (think Twitch Points) and Elixir, which are one-time donations (think Twitch Bits). Viewers can also sub or gift subs at one of the three tiers mentioned above. Elixir and sub revenue are converted to Gems, which the streamer can cash out for actual currency. For 1000 Elixir donated, the streamer will receive 500 gems. Once the streamer amasses 5000 Gems (roughly $50 USD), they can withdraw funds on a monthly basis.
Benefits of Trovo
- Significantly less competition
- Easier to stand out and be noticed
- Great for streamers who speak more than one language, particularly Spanish, Russian, or Greek
- Room to grow as the platform is still in its infancy
- Easier for new streamers to get discovered (viewers can filter by New Streamers)
Drawbacks of Trovo
- Significantly less viewers
- Chatters will likely type in different languages
- With fewer viewers on the platform, it can be harder to make a living on Trovo alone at the moment
We hopped on Trovo one evening to check out their chatting category, which is called “Chitchat.” There were less than 25 active streamers, seven of which were English-speaking. Compare this to over 2400 active chatting streamers on Twitch and it’s easy to see that Trovo has significantly less competition. However, the top English-speaking streamer on Trovo had an average of 80 viewers throughout the stream, whereas the top chatting streamer on Twitch had over 15K viewers. Still, most streamers would be more than happy with 80 viewers, which is reasonably difficult to achieve on Twitch, particularly for new streamers.
Let’s break this down further. During our experiment, there were over 240K viewers watching Twitch’s “Just Chatting” category. However, out of 2400 active streamers, the top ten streamers held 25% of these views. The top two streamers alone (English and Korean, respectively) accounted for 10% of all Just Chatting viewership. The numbers go down from there, with page after page of streamers hosting zero viewers. Trovo’s “Chitchat” viewer count was only 458 viewers but out of 22 streamers, only two had zero viewers.
So, what does this all mean? Simply put, your chances of streaming to no one on Twitch are much higher as the platform has a considerable amount of competition. Furthermore, most of the viewers on Twitch are watching top streamers.
Should I Stream on Trovo?
As with most questions when it comes to content creation, the answer is, “it depends.” If you’re just getting started streaming and don’t have a following elsewhere, Trovo gives you better opportunities to stand out compared to other platforms. No matter your circumstances, we can say for certain that yes, you should stream on Trovo—if you multistream.
Trovo has no limitations on multistreaming, whereas Twitch does not allow their partnered streamers to go live to multiple platforms simultaneously, excluding short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram (our article on Twitch simulcasting for Partners will tell you more). In other words, if you’re not a Twitch Partner, there’s nothing stopping you from streaming to Twitch, Trovo, and any other streaming site, at the same time.
If you want to multistream, you’re going to need the right tools. With a Streamlabs Ultra membership, you’ll be able to multistream right from Streamlabs Desktop with a few simple clicks. You’ll also gain access to a ton of other tools to help build your brand and achieve your creator goals. You can edit your live streams with Video Editor and upload them to YouTube or take clips of your streams and turn them into Instagram Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts with Cross Clip. With Streamlabs Ultra, you’ll be able to receive donations on your very own custom tip page, set up your own merch store, and so much more.
As the situation currently stands, streamers looking to go live to thousands of viewers won’t have much luck on Trovo. While this feat is difficult to achieve on Twitch, it’s at least possible because of its high viewership. Still, there’s no telling where Trovo will go from here, as the company has stated that they have lots of plans in the works. Savvy streamers should definitely take the initiative and start multistreaming to Trovo while discoverability is still high. After all, what do you have to lose?