Twitch Increases Turbo Package Prices After Employee Layoffs!

Twitch has just raised the price of its ad-free service, (photo: dock. Twitch)

JAKARTA - Twitch has just raised the price of its ad-free service, Turbo, which took effect this week globally.

The company introduced Twitch Turbo in 2013, and for $8.99, it is equivalent to IDR 134 thousand per month and is now 11.99 US dollars (IDR 179 thousand) per month for prices in the United States (US).

According to Twitch's official release, the prices offered by each country are different. For example, in Japan, which will be subject to 1,499.00 yen equivalent to Rp160 thousand, in Singapore, will be set at 166 thousand.

If the country is not included in the new list, the monthly fee is still default to US standards of 11.99 US dollars per month. Check out the list here.

All Twitch users have been told about this price change via their email, and they must choose to participate in a new three-month price.

If you don't update in the next three months, your Turbo subscription will stop updating on August 31, although your benefits can be extended until September depending on the date of your subscription extension," Twitch wrote in an email.

This latest price is indeed quite expensive, but it is comparable to what content creators will get. Such as being able to avoid pre-roll ads, mid-clip ads, and companion and display ads without hampering broadcaster revenue streams.

In addition to offering an immersive and ad-free viewing experience, Twitch Turbo also provides several other benefits for fans turning to the Turbo level.

They will get an exclusive chat badge that looks like a battery icon with a lightning logo in it, to show if they support their favorite Twitch creators.

While creators, also awarded an exclusive set of emotes, just like the way they got a special emote after joining the Twitch Prime club.

Flexibility to change chat color and priority access to customer support will also be available. If creators with Turbo subscriptions, their previous broadcast will be saved for 60 days.

However, Twitch users who don't pay, the previous broadcast is only saved for seven days, while members of the Twitch Affiliate program get their broadcast saved for 14 days.

The price increase came after Twitch got a new CEO and cut jobs amid Amazon's wider layoffs.

And apparently, Twitch sees an opportunity to make more money by making the Turbo package more expensive. This was quoted from Slashgear and The Verge, Friday, May 26.