Twitch streamers revolt against new limits on branded sponsorships: "This is a direct attack on our business"
Twitch streamers are pushing back against the platform's new "branded content guidelines" that will put tight limits on how advertisements can be run on their channels—and at least one prominent channel is threatening to leave Twitch entirely if the planned changes aren't dropped.
The new guidelines page starts off with a detailed breakdown of what does and doesn't qualify as branded content, and when and how promotions and sponsorships need to be disclosed. There's also a bit about a branded content disclosure too, that «enables you to easily notify your community that your stream includes branded content.»
Things take a turn in the second part of the page, though, where Twitch lays out «permitted and prohibited brand sponsorship formats,» and cuts right to what it's really all about: money.
«We recognize that streamers want to collaborate with brands, but as outlined in the Terms of Service we maintain the exclusive right to sell, serve, and display advertisements on the Twitch Services,» the page states. «This means that you may not insert, embed, or 'burn in' prerecorded advertising units into your livestream.»
The page also explains in graphical format what is and isn't allowed. This is okay:
And this is not:
The new policies are a potentially big problem for a lot of streamers. Many streamers favor the types of sponsored content that Twitch is now outlawing because they're able to serve ads to viewers without giving a cut to Twitch. To some of the biggest streamers, these brand deals are the backbone of their income. Not only do the limits on ad placement threaten to cut into the revenue streams of individual streamers, it could also force gaming events like Evo and Games Done Quick to change their entire stream
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