Technology
Twitch star Ludwig ends marathon 31-day livestream after breaking Ninja’s all-time subscription record
AN American Twitch star has broken the record for the most paying subscribers after streaming non-stop for 31 consecutive days.
Viewers watched Ludwig Ahgren eat, sleep workout and play video games during the marathon 24/7 broadcast from his home in California.
Twitch star Ludwig ended a 31-day livestream on Wednesday[/caption]
He has now become the most-subscribed creator on the platform, amassing more than 280,000 at the time of writing.
The previous record of 269,154 subscribers was set by gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins in 2018.
Ludwig kicked off the event on March 14 and extended an on-screen countdown timer by 20 seconds for each subscription purchased.
It worked a bit like a telethon – as long as the cash kept coming in, he wouldn’t stop streaming.
Ludwig Anders Ahgren has been live-streaming his life for over two weeks[/caption]
Subscriptions are $5 per month. It’s unclear how much money the 23-year-old has made, but he joked on air that he would be “swimming in” cash.
While subscription fees topped an estimated $1million, Ludwig said he may walk away with less than 0.6 per cent ($6,000) of that, according to Dexerto.
That’s due to hefty Californian tax payments, wages paid to stream moderators, and the 35 per cent cut snapped up by Twitch.
According to the New York Times, the web star expected the stream to last up to 48 hours, but as he continued, the timer kept extending.
Twitch streamer Ludwig (left) sleeps on camera on Monday during his marathon broadcast. In the foreground, stream moderators play a game to keep viewers entertained[/caption]
He brought the broadcast to a close on Wednesday after 31 days with possibly no end in sight as the timer continued to lengthen.
“I’ve never been so consistent with my working out. I slept eight hours a day, ate three meals a day,” he said during one stream.
“It’s been really interesting, being so set in my life. It’s been crazy.
“We went from 32 million channel views to 72 million. That’s way more than double. Just blows my mind.”
The American has more than 2million Twitch followers[/caption]
The video feed featured dozens of hours of the streamer asleep in a bright red race car bed.
He played video games, chatted, cooked, ate and even showered (with shorts on), all on stream, according to the New York Times.
The broadcast amassed tens of thousands viewers at a time.
Ludwig’s five roommates and girlfriend played supporting roles, joining him to cook or workout.
Ludwig is now into his fifteenth day straight streaming on Twitch[/caption]
The streamer has 2.7million followers on Twitch – a million more than he had prior to his “subathon”, according to unofficial tracker SocialBlade.
About two weeks into the stream, Ludwig said he would keep going as long as people kept subscribing, though he added some constraints.
New subscribers would add only 10 seconds to the stream, and the American said he would stop at 31 days no matter what.
Ludwig was already popular on Twitch before the subathon began, and he had some help along the way.
Twitch – the world’s biggest streaming site explained
Here’s what you need to know…
- Twitch is a website dedicated to hosting livestreams watched by millions around the world
- The platform is owned by Amazon and largely focusses on video game livestreams
- However, content creators also upload clips of themselves creating artwork or music, or simply having a chat
- Twitch boasts more than 15million daily active users watching clips streamed by around 3million creators
- Its creators make money through a mix of paid subscripions, advertising revenue and donations from viewers
- Some of the site’s biggest earners make millions every year, largely through sponsorship deals with big brands
- Twitch is worth an estimated £3billion
- Its biggest competitors are Microsoft-owned streaming platform Mixer, YouTube (which is owned by Google) and Facebook Live
The stream featured prominently on Twitch’s homepage and the platform even wished him “Goodnight” from its official Twitter account.
A subathon is not a new concept. Streamers regularly engage in certain activities or stunts in order to drive subscription numbers.
Creators might promise, for instance, to eat a really hot chilli or play a specific game once a subscription target is met.
In April 2020, Twitch star LosPollosTV streamed for six consecutive days during a subathon, setting what was believed to be a record at the time.
Other streamers have since gone on longer, but without running a subathon for the duration.
Most read in Tech
In other news, a sleeping man made $16,000 (£11,500) by streaming his slumber on Twitch and charging fans to attempt to wake him up.
Netflix is trialling a viewing timer feature that can pause an episode for you if you fall asleep.
And, scam emails claiming that the recipient has been selected to receive a coronavirus vaccine have been highlighted by concerned experts.
How long do you think Ludwig’s stream will last? Let us know in the comments…
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk
