Tag: app-subdomain-redirection:twitch

Twitch has announced the implementation of a new policy and a series of moderation updates to combat sexual harassment on its platform. The company has made its sexual harassment policy ‘more understandable,’ as detailed in a blog post, clearly describing the prohibited behaviors. Additionally, the moderation tools now allow streamers to more effectively filter inappropriate chat messages.

Although it has made ‘virtually no changes to its sexual harassment policies,’ Twitch now better defines what it considers sexual harassment. This includes ‘non-physical sexual behaviors that make users feel uncomfortable, degraded, insecure, or discouraged from participating’ on the platform.

‘We prohibit unwanted comments, including comments made with emojis or emoticons about someone’s appearance or body, requests or insinuations of a sexual nature, sexual objectification, and negative statements or attacks related to the perception of people’s sexual behavior or activities, regardless of their gender,’ Twitch clarified. ‘We also do not tolerate, under any circumstances, the recording or sharing of non-consensual intimate images or videos, and we may report such content to the authorities.’

In addition, streamers who use AutoMod, Twitch’s autonomous moderation feature, can activate a new category that filters ‘chat messages that could be considered acts of sexual harassment.’ Like the previous categories of aggression and harassment, users can define how strict the moderation will be and decide whether to report the senders of the messages. Currently, this new AutoMod category is only available in English, but the company is working to include it in other languages.

These measures are being taken after the scandal involving popular streamer Dr Disrespect, who was banned from Twitch four years ago for using the Whisper function to send “inappropriate” messages to a minor. In addition, female gamers disproportionately face abuse and sexual harassment from men on the Internet; according to a survey by Bryter, two out of three women experience toxic or threatening behaviors, and more than 10% have received rape threats.

Twitch has decided to revert recent changes to its nudity guidelines that upset VRChat streamers. The streaming platform updated its policies in late 2023 to impose strict dress code rules, requiring streamers to maintain a certain level of “coverage.” Failure to meet these minimums was considered “inappropriate attire,” which could lead to the expulsion of streamers.

In June, this policy was extended to VRChat, causing quite a bit of confusion among streamers, who started receiving strikes despite being “virtual reality models within the game” and not being previously affected by Twitch’s nudity and attire guidelines. In response to the complaints, Twitch initially defended its decision, but after the wave of complaints, the platform announced the reversal of these changes and the removal of the strikes received due to this policy.

“Effective immediately, we are revoking the change in enforcement guidelines. Any strikes due to this change will be nullified,” Twitch announced on its Twitter account. “That being said, as stated in our policy, our dress code policy still applies to Vtubers, but does not apply to characters in games like VRChat.”

VRChat allows players to customize their avatars with almost any outfit, although nudity is still prohibited under their terms of service. With this setback, VRChat streamers can dress more freely in their Twitch streams without being responsible for the clothing of other avatars, as long as they do not violate the platform’s explicit content policies.

Twitch, the popular streaming platform, has announced an innovative program allowing DJs to use copyrighted music in their broadcasts. According to the company, this new system has been made possible thanks to agreements reached with major record labels such as Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music, as well as numerous independent record labels.

Dan Clancy, CEO of Twitch, already hinted in April at creating an official system aimed at DJs. The company confirmed that streamers will have to pay a percentage of their earnings to rights holders. However, it did not reveal the exact percentage, which will vary depending on the monetization methods used. The cost-sharing with Twitch will be 50/50, although the platform says it will “cover more than the cost” at the beginning.

In addition, some DJs will be eligible to receive a one-year grant, funded by the platform, to cover the difference between their earnings and the money paid to record labels and artists. DJs who are not monetizing on Twitch will be exempt from paying fees.

“DJs often use and take advantage of pre-recorded music from other artists as a fundamental part of their creative expression,” Twitch explained in a blog post. “However, when pre-recorded music is streamed over the Internet, there are a variety of copyright issues that must be taken into account and that vary depending on the regions.”

Until now, Twitch DJs have had to deal with copyright-related issues on their own. Some Twitch DJs have reported in recent years that they have received a real avalanche of DMCA reports. Twitch claims to have been working on negotiations with record labels to “mitigate” the risks associated with the removal of videos related to copyright.

The company has also wanted to underline the need for this change: “It is crucial that DJs understand that the status quo on Twitch was not sustainable, and any viable future for the community requires us to find a solution.” The program will be launched later this summer, accompanied by a new “DJ” category for streamers. However, the new licensing feature will not apply to other types of content, such as video on demand (VOD) and highlights.

Twitch, the popular video game streaming platform, has announced an increase in the prices of its subscriptions, following the trend of other platforms such as Spotify, Netflix, and Peacock. Level 1 subscribers will go from paying $4.99 to $5.99 per month, while Levels 2 and 3 remain at $9.99 and $24.99 respectively.

The company has justified this increase as part of its efforts to “help creators build and grow their communities worldwide.” A Twitch spokesperson told Tom’s Guide that subscriptions are “essential for supporting streamers” and that, with the rising content creation costs, it is crucial to generate more revenue to make “streaming more sustainable.“

The price increase is not universal. In February, only Canada, Turkey, and the United Kingdom experienced increases. Now, the adjustment extends to more than 30 countries. The official Twitch account on Twitter assured that streamers will continue to receive between 50% and 70% of the revenue from subscriptions, depending on their level in the Plus Program. However, this price increase could also discourage users, affecting support for streamers despite the higher proportion of income.

2024 has not been an easy year for Twitch. In January, the platform fired 500 employees, and, at the end of May, replaced its Security Advisory Board with a group of content creators. In addition, the CEO of Twitch has admitted that the company is not profitable.

This price increase is just one of many that have taken place in the last year. In 2023, services like Sling TV, Hulu, Fubo, and DirectTV Stream also raised their rates. Even leading streaming companies like Netflix, Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Apple TV Plus have followed the same path, reflecting an annual trend of increases that shows no signs of stopping.

Twitch, the popular video game streaming platform owned by Amazon, has decided to dismiss all members of its Safety Advisory Council (SAC). The measure will take effect today, Friday, according to sources and documents obtained by CNBC. The SAC, made up of nine industry experts, streamers, and moderators, was created in May 2020 with the aim of improving trust and safety on the platform.

The advisory board advised Twitch on the drafting of new policies, product development, and security features, as well as in the protection of the interests of marginalized groups. For four years, the SAC addressed issues such as policies on nudity and “hate raids” targeting vulnerable groups.

On May 6th, council members were called to a meeting where they were informed that all current contracts would end on May 31st, 2024 and that they would not receive payment for the second semester of the year. Among the advisors were Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center; Emma Llansó, former director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology; and Dr. T.L. Taylor, co-founder of AnyKey, which promotes diversity and inclusion in video games.

“Looking ahead, the Security Advisory Council will be primarily composed of individuals who act as Twitch ambassadors“, according to the email sent to council members. Twitch ambassadors are users chosen for their positive impact on the community. Payment for council members ranged between $10,000 and $20,000 for a 12-month period, according to a source familiar with the contracts.

The decision by Twitch comes in a context of cuts and layoffs in the technology sector, particularly affecting security and ethics teams. To make matters worse, these cuts come at a time when cyberbullying and the spread of misinformation are on the rise, with serious implications for the mental health of teenagers and the integrity of online information.

A year ago, Twitch laid off about 50 employees responsible for monitoring abusive or illegal behavior. The measure affected approximately 15% of the company’s trust and safety team. In response to CNBC’s inquiries, a Twitch spokesperson stated that the company has added “new board members to provide fresh and diverse perspectives.” Additionally, it was highlighted that over 180 streamers are part of Twitch’s ambassador program and that with the new format, they expect to attract even more voices and perspectives.

Twitch is implementing its new TikTok-inspired discovery feed for all users. This feature, integrated as a tab in the Twitch apps for iOS and Android, allows viewers to explore short content clips to discover new streamers. After initial testing in August 2023, the official launch will take place this week in response to the growing interest in the short format, already adopted by apps like Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Reddit.

The new feed is divided into two tabs: “live” and “clips”. The first one shows live broadcasts from streamers followed by the user or suggested by Twitch, while the second one offers highlighted moments from the streamers, making it easier to discover content even when they are not live.

Users can customize their experience by giving positive or negative feedback to live streams or clips, which influences the selection of future content. This version responds to the demands of streamers to reach new audiences, as until now, their visibility depended mainly on external promotions or partnerships with other content creators.

Twitch guarantees that all live streams and clips can automatically appear in the feed as long as they comply with the content guidelines. Although streamers cannot directly upload content to the discovery feed, they are encouraged to create clips to increase their chances of appearing in it.

In an interview, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy stated that DJs who stream on the platform will have to share their earnings with record labels.

According to Zach Bussey’s tweet, Clancy said that Twitch is working on a “structure” where DJs and the platform “will have to share money with labels”. And he said he has already talked to some DJs about it.

DJs, of course, realized that they would prefer not to share what they earn. But Clancy said that Twitch will pay part of what is owed to the record labels, while the DJs will give a portion of their earnings.

Twitch will soon require DJs to share part of their revenue with the music industry.

"We're going to have a structure, where we are going to have to share money with the labels, it doesn't come for free… we're going to split whatever the cost is."#TwitchNews #TOSg pic.twitter.com/YndPV8JIcH

— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) April 10, 2024

Twitch wants to work with record labels

Clancy’s statement was part of his response to the host’s question about the situation of copyright for music streamers on the platform.

The CEO responded that Twitch has been talking to record labels about it in hopes of finding a stable solution so that DJ streamers don’t receive DMCA takedown requests.

He also said that the website has a “pretty good thing” going on with tags right now – a “thing” that involves Twitch paying them money, apparently – but it’s not a sustainable long-term solution. In addition, the streamers only agree to that deal for now because they know Twitch is working on another solution that will make them (more) money.

Clancy also clarified that live broadcasts and on-demand videos have different rules for playing copyrighted music, and this is undoubtedly a problem.

That’s why it suggests that DJs mute pre-recorded videos on their own, because the Twitch system doesn’t always detect copyrighted songs to mute them.

The CEO has said that Twitch is close to signing the agreement with record labels, but it is not clear how the Amazon subsidiary intends to monitor live music streams and if it already has the technology to do so.