Earlier this week, Twitch set the streaming world ablaze with what appeared to be new guidelines that heavily impacted how streamers could monetize their channels. The rules appeared to dictate things like how much space logos could take up on the screen, and whether or not these sponsorships could be permanently displayed on the screen at all. The outcry was immediate, and Twitch responded by suggesting that the rules were being misinterpreted because they were written vaguely. Now, a day later, the livestreaming platform is walking back the tweaks entirely.
In a Twitter thread, the livestreaming platform said that the guidelines were “bad for [streamers] and bad for Twitch,” announcing the intention of removing them immediately so that content creators can work with sponsors again. The changes, which put new levels of restrictions on what and how streamers collaborate with various brands, would’ve cratered content creators’ revenue.
“Yesterday, we released new Branded Content Guidelines that impacted your ability to work with sponsors to increase your income from streaming,” Twitch said. “These guidelines are bad for you and bad for Twitch, and we are removing them immediately. Sponsorships are critical to streamers’ growth and ability to earn income. We will not prevent your ability to enter into direct relationships with sponsors – you will continue to own and control your sponsorship business. We want to work with our community to create the best experience on Twitch, and to do that we need to be clear about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. We appreciate your feedback and help in making this change.”
This fiasco is transpiring after a long list of other misfires and bad press, including a deepfake porn scandal that affected its biggest stars, an ongoing exodus of top talent, layoffs, and other unpopular platform changes, like revenue splits that don’t favor creators.
Despite this, as of March 2023, Twitch chief product officer Tom Verrilli said “I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to start streaming on Twitch.”
