June 8, 2023
Twitch has apologized for its new advertising rules that limited streamers’ ad options and affected their earnings.
After facing backlash and threats of a boycott, Twitch agreed to revise the policy. The company expressed regret on Twitter, acknowledging the confusion and frustration caused by the broad policy update. They clarified that streamers can still form partnerships with sponsors to generate revenue.
Streamers would have been prohibited from putting adverts directly in their streams, whether videos, audio, or other forms, under the previous guidelines. Furthermore, logos displayed during broadcasts would have been limited to only 3% of the screen space. Streamers rely largely on integrated adverts to be visible.
Twitch typically pays streamers 50% of subscription earnings, although popular producers might negotiate a 70-30 split. It takes no cut of the cash streamers receive from advertisements or contributions.
As a result, UK broadcaster Marco, better known as Stallion, opted to depart the network due to pre-update concerns. Marco voiced dissatisfaction with Twitch’s lack of discoverability and the few options for prospective streamers to acquire notoriety. He chastised the platform for putting financial gain ahead of user needs.
The sources for this piece include an article in BBC.
