Bitcoin tipping service ChangeTip has scored another high-profile integration. Its newest partner: video streaming platform Twitch.tv.
The integration uses a ChangeTip tip bot, which joins the chat channels of willing Twitch.tv streamers. Activation lets users award Bitcoin tips.
Twitch has accepted digital currency tips since August, when it began accepting direct Bitcoin payments for its Turbo subscription service. In October, the company announced it would also accept payments in Dogecoin.
Twitch has been in business since 2011. Its audience numbers millions of users per month and generates income for a core group of high-profile streamers. Competitive e-sports’ growth, as well as demand for venues to view matches of League of Legends, StarCraft II, and other popular games have also contributed to growth.
To jump-start the integration, ChangeTip is giving $10,000 in Bitcoin to prominent Twitch users to encourage tipping among their followers.
The move came as no surprise. ChangeTip CEO Nick Sullivan hinted as such several weeks ago in responding to a Reddit thread. Users later noticed a ChangeTip Twitch bot page on GitHub in advance of today’s official announcement.
Sullivan said of the integration:
We are excited to see development work like this come from our community. Our API enables community members to craft the tools they want to see in use. This bot allows fans to connect with their favorite players in a new way.
ChangeTip claims that a third party developed the tip bot. A Twitch representative replied to a request for comment by saying the tool was compatible with their platform but that Twitch did not play a direct development role.
ChangeTip is no stranger to high-profile integrations. Over the span of a few months, the San Francisco-based startup has integrated its service with Facebook, YouTube and other platforms. The company has also entered the donation micropayment market through a partnership with the non-profit BitGive Foundation.
