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Topline
Twitch walked back changes to branded content guidelines on the streaming platform Wednesday after receiving boycott threats and harsh callouts from content creators Tuesday, who said the changes would have negatively impacted their productions and earnings.
Twitch announced Wednesday it would remove some branded content guidelines that received criticism … [+]
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Key Facts
The guidelines, released yesterday, would have prohibited video, audio and display advertisements from being put directly into streams—a move that Twitch content creators believed would threaten their income, sponsorships and productions.
The new rules, which were planned to become effective at the beginning of July, also included a restriction on in-stream logo sizes, which would have only been able to take up 3% of screen sizes.
Twitch wrote in a Twitter thread Wednesday that the branded content guidelines would be removed immediately—adding it would not prevent streamers’ abilities “to enter into direct relationships with sponsors.”
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The choice to outright remove the policies comes after an apology issued by Twitch Tuesday in which the platform said it “missed the mark with the policy language” and would rewrite the rules to be clearer.
Key Background
Twitch streamers and popular content creators lashed out at Twitch after the guidelines were first released Tuesday. Zack Hoyt, who holds 3.4 million Twitch followers under the username Asmongold, tweeted streamers “should consider boycotting Twitch.” He added that making “common and harmless forms of advertisement” against the terms of service was done so Twitch could “monopolize” more of streamers’ income. Tyler Blevins, also known as the hyper-popular Fortnite streamer Ninja, wrote in a tweet yesterday that the platform was moving “further and further away from who they used to be.” Former Twitter CEO Elon Musk also joined in on the discourse, supporting a call from YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, to host a protest stream on the live streaming platform Kick—a Twitch competitor.
Tangent
Despite removal of the planned guidelines, streamers are still criticizing Twitch for separate policies that they say could impact their work. Blevins is one of several content creators to point out Twitch’s ban on simulcasting, which means streamers cannot broadcast their live streams to Twitch and other platforms at the same time. Blevins, who is not partnered on Twitch and does not make money from the platform, said the platform has forced his hand into choosing between Twitch, which still remains popular with fans, and other alternatives like Kick and YouTube.
Further Reading
Twitch Hit With Backlash And Boycott Threats—As Streamers Say New Rules Threaten Their Income (Forbes)
Twitch Crackdown on Creator s Sparks Calls for Boycotts and Protests (IGN)
