Twitch scraps new ad guidelines after creator uproar

Twitch walked back a new set of branded content guidelines it unveiled on Tuesday after creators who use  the Amazon-owned platform voiced concerns about how these changes could impact their income.

The original guidelines, which were supposed to go into effect on July 1, contained restrictions regarding “burned-in” ads, or those that are placed directly within a stream. Specifically, it banned burned-in video, display, and audio ads. The new terms also limited on-screen logos to 3% of the total screen size.

Certain streamers panned the new guidelines, saying Twitch was hurting creators by limiting their income. “Twitch is changing sponsorship guidelines to be so restrictive that it makes it near impossible for streamers to even advertise. The way I pay for my shows and events are through sponsorships, and this actively makes it more difficult for everyone to make content,” tweeted Eric Morino, who goes by @PointCrow.

“Hey @Twitch how about instead of handicapping what creators make, you help them make more? Seems more logical,” tweeted MrBeast.

On Wednesday, Twitch took to Twitter to issue a retraction of the guidelines. “Yesterday, we released new Branded Content Guidelines that impacted your ability to work with sponsors to increase your income from streaming. 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,” it continued. Twitch declined to respond to Marketing Brew’s request for comment.

This is not the first time Twitch has come under fire for tweaking policies that impact creators. Last year, the company announced plans to phase out its 70/30 revenue split with creators who’d struck “premium deals” with Twitch. As part of the change, these creators would be subject to a 50/50 revenue split after earning $100k.

Last month, Twitch CMO Rachel Delphin told Marketing Brew that Twitch is the most crucial platform for streamers to grow their audiences and incomes, even if they have a presence on other platforms. “Twitch tends to be our streamers’ primary home. Where they monetize is where they spend most of their time, and it’s really where the community cultivation and activation happens for them,” she said.