Twitch CMO Rachel Delphin discusses TwitchCon at 10, reaching audiences at scale

With TwitchCon celebrating its 10th anniversary this year in San Diego, the annual gathering of streamers, viewers, and collaborators is more exciting than ever before. Twitch CMO Rachel Delphin has seen that evolution firsthand. In the seven and a half years since she joined Twitch, she’s witnessed just how vibrant and diverse the community has become—with more than 5 million streamers and 105 million monthly viewers, Twitch has become a place where millions of people come together to celebrate creativity, build connections, and turn shared interests into real communities—across gaming, music, art, sports, cooking, and so much more.

As that community has grown, Twitch has been deliberate and thoughtful about how advertisers exist in that space, ensuring that brands aren’t just popping in, but rather becoming a part of the community as well. Opportunities like The Glitch—custom playable worlds within Fortnite—are making brands a part of the experience. And with 52% of audiences spending three or more hours a day on Twitch and 72% of them trusting products promoted by their favorite streamers, one thing is clear: Twitch is the place to be.

Ahead of TwitchCon, we spoke with Rachel about the growth of Twitch, what’s ahead for the 10-year anniversary of TwitchCon, and how brands can join in on the fun.

Rachel Delphin: When I started at Twitch over seven years ago, we just had a big breakout moment with Drake and Ninja, so it was really on the cusp of this mainstream growth. Back then, I managed Communications with a team of two and now I’m chief marketing officer, so quite a bit has changed for me. I’m overseeing a much larger team and events like TwitchCon—it’s a big, wonderful mix of things, all designed to inspire, inform, and excite.

Delphin: There’s a big and unique opportunity with Twitch because it centers around not just creators, but their communities. Viewers don't just watch or consume content—they often become active participants in communities, forming real friendships over time in chat. They find and feel a sense of belonging. I like to say it’s like having your brand mentioned in the group chat. High trust, high influence.

And we help brands fit into streams seamlessly whether that’s a sitewide-buy or immersive experience. The key to finding your way into that relationship is in the matchmaking of communities and creators. We have a high degree of expertise here and work closely with brands to ensure they’re showing up authentically, credibly, and in a way that drives excitement. We say on Twitch, you don’t just make an impression—you leave a lasting one.

TwitchCon

Delphin: Over 70% of our audience is Gen Z and millennials, and many of them are cord-cutters and cord-nevers. So, they can be difficult to reach in some of the more traditional paths especially as audiences become more fractured and fragmented. We also know our viewers feel really positively about brands when they're directly supporting their streamers. Young adults on Twitch are 13% more likely to say watching video ads or sponsorships is beneficial because it supports creators, compared to young adults in the general population. The connection between the two is very meaningful.

Delphin: What’s most exciting to me is that TwitchCon has developed beyond a convention into the premier creator event of the year, drawing tens of thousands of attendees. It’s gone from being a very “gaming-centric” conference to a convention of a broad range of interests and passions. And of course, the scale is much bigger. Today, it’s a festival where streamers, gamers, musicians, creators, and fans come together to hang out and build real, meaningful connections—I think we all know the number of spaces that allow for that is sorely lacking. The event focuses on fostering belonging and community, with panels led by members of the community, for the community. There are immersive activities galore, Community Meetups for just about every interest you can imagine, and lots of options for entertainment from casual competitions to stage productions.

Delphin: I love the drag showcase each and every year, and for our 10th Anniversary, we’ll have—well I don’t know that we can say yet who is hosting, but know that for our 10th, it’s going to be someone incredible. It's just such high entertainment value. We're doing a really fun game show on the Glitch Theater with fanfan and friends playing hilarious party games. There’s Roblox Dress to Impress, which is an IRL fashion competition. We have another session called cosPLAY! that’s a cross between cosplay and a Japanese game show. There’s honestly too much to choose a favorite…it’s such a riotously good time.

Delphin: Brands play a crucial role at TwitchCon in so many ways, especially our Presenting Sponsors, but what first comes to mind is how they provide these exciting interactive experiences. The showroom floor features the latest releases from big names in gaming like Embark Studios, Kinetic Games, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Netmarble, and Wargaming, while the Twitch Rivals Arena hosts major competitive events with our Twitch Rivals official marketing partners State Farm, Honda, and Intel. This year's highlights include Going to Need Milk bringing The Milk Cup to TwitchCon, hosting the largest women's Fortnite tournament in TwitchCon history. There’s also Capcom's lineup featuring custom streaming rooms, Resident Evil haunted experiences, and Street Fighter 6 tournaments. There’s no shortage of opportunities to provide attendees with a great experience.