After receiving criticism for its new advertising policies, Twitch has issued an apology.
The Twitch-based livestreaming platform, which is owned by Amazon, had previously stated that it would impose restrictions on the quantity and nature of advertisements used by its users.
As a result, there would have been a marked reduction in the ways that streamers could have made money on the platform.
Following threats of a boycott from several well-known creators and some creators moving elsewhere, Twitch has now announced that it will revise the new policy.
In a tweet that was seen 17.6 million times, it claimed that the "branded-content policy update from today was overly broad.".
We apologize for the resulting confusion and annoyance.
We recognize that this is a significant part of how streamers generate income, so we have no intention of restricting their ability to establish direct relationships with sponsors. ".
However, following the initial update, UK streamer Marco, also known as Stallion online, confirmed to BBC News that he would still be leaving Twitch.
This is the motivation I needed to leave this platform, he declared.
"I've been thinking about this for the past two years. Twitch's issue is that it has virtually no discoverability; it's one of those platforms where, if you're not already at the top, you won't be.
"I understand that it's a business, but it seems as though the platform users haven't been given any consideration. Now it just seems to be about the money and has nothing to do with us. ".
The new guidelines would have prohibited streamers from embedding advertisements, whether they be audio, video, or other content, directly into their streams and would have limited the size of any logos to only 3% of the screen.
Streamers typically embed advertisements so that they are always visible.
Twitch typically gives them 50% of the revenue it receives from subscribers, though some of the biggest streamers get a 70% to 30% "revenue split". But none of the money that streamers make from advertisements or donations goes to the platform.
Comparatively, YouTubers get 70% of the money from their memberships (also known as subscriptions). However, a 30 percent cut of fan donations also goes to YouTube.
The new regulations also raised questions for charitable events that heavily rely on logos that take up a large portion of the screen, like Games Done Quick, which in June announced that it had raised $2 point 2 million for Doctors Without Borders.
It's unclear which of the new rules will now be revised, but for some, the damage has already been done.
Whether or not the individuals on the platform depend on it for their livelihood, Stallion said, "There's no thought about them at all.".
"This is a decision I should have made years ago, but I haven't because it's my full-time job and I've been too afraid to.
"In the long run, this will be the best course of action for me.
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