Streams Charts at FANCON 2026: Discussing Ukrainian livestreaming, money and brand integrations

Twitch or YouTube — where should new creators start? How do Ukrainian streamers monetize their content today? And what are brands actually looking for when they invest in livestreaming? These were the key questions explored during two Streams Charts panel discussions at FANCON 2026, where creators, brand representatives and industry experts shared their experience, insights and expectations for the future of Ukrainian livestreaming. Here are the main takeaways from both sessions.

Day 1. Streamer success is no longer tied to a single platform

On June 6, the first day of FANCON 2026, Streams Charts held a panel discussion titled “Twitch vs YouTube: Where Can Creators Actually Grow Today — and Is There a Right Choice?” The session featured Dobra Divka, Streamer of the Year at the Stream Awards 2024, and Yevhen Skyba, CEO of streamer monetization service StreamAdvisor. The discussion was moderated by Viktor Proniakin, Product Manager at Esports Charts.

  Yevhen Skyba, Dobra Divka, and Viktor Proniakin speaking during the first Streams Charts x FANCON 2026 panel   

Choosing the right platform is often the first major decision for anyone starting out in livestreaming. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, the panelists shared their own observations and offered several practical recommendations for new creators.

“There are categories that are extremely popular on Ukrainian Twitch but do not really take off on YouTube — and the other way around. Take Minecraft, for example, a game that is very popular with younger audiences. On Ukrainian Twitch, Minecraft accounts for less than 2% of content, even though globally it is one of the top categories. Why? Because parents are used to putting Minecraft on for their kids on YouTube. So if you want to grow in that niche, YouTube is probably the better place to start. New creators should analyze the market before launching. <...>

The audiences on Twitch and YouTube are somewhat different. YouTube’s audience has traditionally been slightly older. Streamers who broadcast on both platforms at the same time are simply reaching different layers of viewers. It is a working model.”

Yevhen Skyba, CEO of StreamAdvisor

Viewer preferences can also be a major challenge for streamers, forcing creators to adapt to the tastes of their audience.

Streamer Dobra Divka commented:

“Many viewers simply do not want to move from YouTube to Twitch. Even now, Twitch still has an issue where the SMS with the two-factor authentication code does not always arrive, so people cannot log in and participate in chat. They just say: ‘I’ll watch on YouTube, I’m comfortable there.’ That is why Twitch-YouTube multistreaming will continue to develop in Ukraine. However, most of our streamers still follow the classic model: they stream on Twitch, while YouTube is used for highlights or full VOD uploads.”

Both speakers agreed that modern livestreaming now goes far beyond any single platform. Today, a significant part of a creator’s success is built not during live broadcasts themselves, but through social media. 

“If you want to start and grow quickly, you have to use other media as well — TikTok, Telegram, Facebook and so on. The audience is not sitting in one place. People are constantly changing their moods and interests, looking for something new and engaging. On Twitch, viewers come specifically for that vibe. There is no universal formula that says you should go only to Twitch or only to YouTube. You need to try both channels and see where your fan base develops better.” 

Yevhen Skyba, CEO of StreamAdvisor 

On the path to popularity and recognition, young streamers face many challenges, but they also often make serious mistakes themselves. Some of these can deal a major blow to their reputation.

“What is the biggest mistake at the start? Definitely viewbotting. When someone enters a stream and sees ‘100 viewers,’ but the chat is completely dead, they immediately understand that it is fake — and they will never come back.” 

Yevhen Skyba, CEO of StreamAdvisor

“I completely agree about bots. It is the worst thing you can do because it reflects directly on you. It is better to have three friends watching you, but at least they are real people. Your first viewers are usually people you know, so do not be shy about inviting them. After that, word of mouth can start working. <...>

Another mistake is putting too much psychological pressure on yourself: ‘Oh no, nobody is watching me on the first day, everything is over.’”

Streamer Dobra Divka

Day 2. How the streamer advertising market is changing

On the second day of FANCON 2026, June 7, Streams Charts held a panel discussion titled “Where Is the Money in Livestreaming: How Streamers Make Money in 2026.” The session featured Oleksii “Bafik” Bafadarov, a streamer and esports commentator, and Yuliia Sabadash, a Logitech representative in Ukraine and Moldova. The discussion was once again moderated by Viktor Proniakin, Product Manager at Esports Charts.

  Viktor Proniakin, Yuliia Sabadash, and Oleksii “Bafik” Bafadarov during the second Streams Charts x FANCON 2026 panel   

The main focus of this discussion was money, as well as the relationship between brands and streamers. According to analytics company Streams Charts, Ukrainians donated around UAH 10 million to streamers in the fourth quarter alone, while the total amount from paid subscriptions and donations exceeded UAH 30 million over the full year. On average, a professional Ukrainian streamer currently earns between UAH 20,000 and UAH 80,000 per month.

According to streamer Oleksii “Bafik” Bafadarov, a streamer’s income depends heavily not only on the size of their channel, but also on the format of their cooperation with brands.

Streamer Oleksii “Bafik” Bafadarov shared his view during the FANCON discussion: 

“If you have a loyal but small, close-knit audience, subscriptions will not generate serious revenue for you. First, Twitch takes a huge commission — depending on the contract, it is either 50/50 or, in the best-case scenario, 75/25. Second, the regional subscription price in Ukraine is very low, only around UAH 47–49. Even if you have 100 or 1,000 subscribers, after the platform’s commission is deducted, it is still not enough money to make a proper living.

That is why, for small and mid-sized streamers, direct brand integrations are the foundation of monetization. Twitch ads in Ukraine bring in next to nothing. If we are talking about giants like Lebiga, then of course subscriptions and direct donations can generate huge sums simply because of the massive audience volume. But for smaller content creators, integrations are the only path to stability.”

According to Yuliia Sabadash, many brands now look at livestreaming differently and are genuinely trying to build long-term relationships with online audiences. 

Yuliia Sabadash, Logitech representative in Moldova and Ukraine, commented:

“Previously, brands looked only at reach and views. They would buy an integration from a major streamer, place a standard banner, and think that was enough. But pure reach without a real connection with the audience does not build brand value. The viewer does not understand why the streamer is advertising something, other than for the money.

Logitech has completely changed this approach. We are building long-term loyalty. We often offer up-and-coming streamers our top-tier setup — mice, keyboards, and headsets — without any strict obligations at the start. We want the person to simply use high-quality devices every day, test them, and get used to them. Even if a streamer does not like something and says so honestly, that is fine — they have every right to do so. <...>

Today, we primarily look at engagement rate and the streamer’s culture of communication with their chat. What happens inside the broadcast is much more important than the total number of views. We are interested in people who are passionate about what they do, create unique product reactions, produce high-quality content, and are ready to grow together with us — even if they are just starting out as streamers.”

According to Bafadarov, brands are increasingly treating Ukrainian livestreaming as a serious business. The attitude toward the industry is changing, and this requires greater responsibility from both streamers themselves and companies.

“There are two types of brands. The first type comes in, mindlessly throws money around because they need to close their quarterly advertising budget, and then leaves. That does not work. The second type enters the space consciously, analyzes the audience, and offers ambassadorship.

A yearly contract gives a streamer confidence about the future. But it also comes with serious responsibility. You need to be sure that the brand will not start taking advantage of you and inventing new KPIs along the way that were not in the contract. With Logitech, we have complete trust.

And one more thing: for me, it is important to work officially and transparently, through a registered sole proprietorship. This helps legitimize streaming as a serious business, rather than just ‘some random thing on a computer.’ I have a clear obligation to my partner: to do at least 12 streams per month, each lasting at least three hours. In four years, I have never broken this rule.”

Streamer Oleksii “Bafik” Bafadarov

“For us, it is very important that a streamer shares the brand’s code of conduct. We do not work with creators who produce Russian-language content or tolerate sexism, racism, or any other form of discrimination. There have been cases where, because of a streamer’s behavior in chat and their attitude toward such issues, we reviewed the cooperation and terminated the contract.” 

Yuliia Sabadash, Logitech representative in Moldova and Ukraine

Ukrainian livestreaming continues to grow actively, while streamers are becoming an increasingly important part of the modern creator economy and digital communication. The Streams Charts team was genuinely glad to share its analytical expertise with FANCON guests, along with the insights of leading experts and practitioners from the Ukrainian industry.

Each of our panel discussions was accompanied by a large number of questions from the audience. Seeing such lively engagement and genuine interest from attendees, one thing is clear: Ukrainian livestreaming will continue to attract more attention, and therefore will keep growing and developing rapidly.

Thank you to everyone who joined the discussion — see you at the next FANCON!