What is Subscription (Sub)?

A subscription (commonly called a "sub") is a monthly paid membership to a streamer's channel on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, or Kick. On Twitch, subscriptions come in three tiers: Tier 1 ($4.99/month), Tier 2 ($9.99/month), and Tier 3 ($24.99/month), with the revenue split roughly 50/50 between the streamer and Twitch (top partners can negotiate better rates).

Subscriptions are the backbone of streamer income, and sub-related events are a goldmine for clippers. Gift subs (where one viewer purchases subscriptions for random people in chat) create chain reactions of excitement. Gift sub trains — where viewers try to outdo each other by gifting increasingly large batches — are some of the most energetic moments on Twitch.

Sub milestones are particularly clippable. When a streamer hits a round number (1,000 subs, 10,000 subs, 50,000 subs), the celebration is often emotional and genuine. The streamer might cry, pop champagne, do something outrageous they promised at the goal, or just sit in grateful disbelief. These milestone moments make for powerful, shareable clips.

The sub count is also central to subathon events, where each new subscription extends the stream timer. During subathons, the rate of subscriptions directly controls how long the stream continues, creating a real-time tension that viewers and clippers can capitalize on.

For clip channels, tracking sub events is made easier by alert overlays — most streamers display on-screen notifications when they receive new subscriptions. These visual cues help you quickly identify when a potentially clippable sub-related moment is happening during a VOD review.