New Live Platforms Promise Massive Cuts — How to Turn “70–85%” Promises into Real Money (Jan 3, 2026)

Why this matters right now

Digitalage (a unit of Hop‑on, Inc.) published an MVP announcement on January 2, 2026 claiming a creator revenue model that returns 70–85% of revenue to creators for live content — and plans a staged TestFlight rollout. That signal matters because it joins a market where alternatives (Kick, YouTube, Twitch) already offer a wide range of splits and incentives — and creators are voting with their feet. ^[1]

How the numbers compare in practice

Representative revenue splits (public sources)

• Digitalage (press release): claims creators keep 70–85% of revenue (MVP announced Jan 2, 2026). ^[2]
• YouTube: creators typically keep ~70% of fan‑funding (Super Chat/Super Thanks/memberships) and ~55% of watch‑page ad revenue. Note: app‑store fees and local taxes can be deducted before the split. ^[3]
• Kick: widely reported 95/5 subscription split (creator keeps ~95%). ^[4]
• Twitch: standard subscription split historically around 50/50 for many streamers, with partner tiers offering higher splits (70/30 or mid tiers); Twitch has iterated Partner/Plus terms in recent years. ^[5]

Pricing example: $5 monthly subscription — who gets how much?

What to validate before you commit (a 10‑point checklist)

How to run a 30‑day monetization experiment (playbook)

Goal

Test whether a new platform can reliably deliver incremental cash (not replace your core income) while you protect your audience and IP.

Step‑by‑step

1. Week 0 — Preflight: Ask the platform for payout sample, fee waterfall, and KYC timeline. If they can’t provide, treat as high risk. (Document requests.) ^[10]
2. Week 1 — Soft launch: Cross‑post one live show or event; promote it to your audience with a one‑time offer (low friction: $2 tip, $5 micro‑membership). Track conversions.
3. Week 2 — Optimize funnel: Use A/B title, thumbnail, and call‑to‑action copy. Shorten the payment flow (remove extra clicks). Measure conversion % and average order value.
4. Week 3 — Payment test: Trigger a payout cycle; confirm settlement timing and amount. Reconcile net vs expected after platform and processor fees (use Stripe/PayPal docs as baseline fees — Stripe’s standard US card fee is 2.9% + $0.30). ^[11]
5. Week 4 — Decision: If net payouts hit >60–70% of headline promise and audience retention is stable, scale gradually. If not — pause and renegotiate or redirect your audience to your owned channels (newsletter, membership site).

Practical examples & math (real numbers you can copy)

Contract negotiation playbook (ask for these items)

• Written fee waterfall (sample payout for $100 gross) and frequency
• Guaranteed minimum payout SLA for first 90 days (if platform is incentivizing signups)
• Non‑exclusivity clause & IP ownership explicitly retained by you
• Chargeback and refund policy — cap your liability and time window
• Right to audit: ability to request transaction ledgers on request

Risk checklist — when to walk away

• No clear payout date or minimums
• Platform requires exclusivity without minimum guarantees
• Payouts routed through opaque third parties/OTC shells
• Little or no discovery/traffic — you’ll be the initial content provider, not the beneficiary of network effects

If a platform can’t show a sample payout or refuses to define the fee waterfall — treat the headline split as marketing, not money. Get everything in writing before you scale.

Fast decisions creators can make today (actionable checklist)

• Ask the platform for an example payout for a $100 gross event — demand the full waterfall. (You’re allowed to do this.)
• Run a single cross‑promoted live and request a payout to validate timing.
• Keep 80%+ of strategic assets off‑platform (email list, Discord community, product storefront).
• Compare the net (after payment processing) to your current baseline — only scale if net increases ≧ 10–15%.

Sources & further reading (selected)

• Digitalage / Hop‑on press release (MVP announced Jan 2, 2026): claims 70–85% creator revenue share. ^[16]
• YouTube partner revenue overview & Super Thanks documentation (creator revenue percentages and fee notes). ^[17]
• Kick revenue split reporting (95/5 subscription model widely reported). ^[18]
• Twitch Partner / Plus program reporting and historical subscription split discussion. ^[19]
• Stripe pricing page (standard US card fees: 2.9% + $0.30) — use this as a payments benchmark. ^[20]

Final summary — what to remember

Headlines about “70–85%” or “95%” are market signals: competition for creators is alive. But the devil is in the fee waterfall, payout rail, and legal terms. Use small experiments, insist on written sample payouts, and keep your owned channels as the source of truth. That’s how you turn press‑release promises into dependable, repeatable revenue. 🚀