Past restrictions for Twitch Partner Exclusivity have been lifted, allowing partners to stream on other platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok. Until now, Twitch had an exclusivity policy where partners could not stream elsewhere so users had to come to Twitch to see them, but the value of bringing in new viewership from alternate sources, even its chief rival of YouTube Gaming, has likely made Twitch rethink this agreement.
Twitch Partner Exclusivity simulcast policy change
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For those wondering today Twitch announced the end of our exclusivity clause in Partner contracts!
This means you can:
– do singular streams to YouTube or Facebook
– do multi streams (streaming at the same time as you are live) on Instagram Live or TikTok💜💜💜
— Dylan (8Bit) 🏳️🌈 (@8bitdylan) August 23, 2022
As revealed through the official FAQ on Partner Exclusivity, partners are not limited to Twitch anymore but they still need to be careful how they stream. This rule change impacts “the vast majority of Partners on Twitch.” For YouTube, Facebook Live, and other “Twitch-like services that support streaming for extended periods of time,” they cannot simulcast on both Twitch and those platforms. The service believes that “engaging with two streams at once can lead to a sub-optimal experience” for the community. Fortunately, partners don’t need to wait for any amount of time between streaming on Twitch before streaming elsewhere, allowing them to easily switch between platforms.
That said, simulcasting will be allowed for “short form, mobile services” such as Tiktok and Instagram Live, in response to feedback from partners who have said that they “want to use other services to grow their community.” Having Twitch be less of a walled garden and open itself to the broader social media networks is important for the platform’s growth. In fact, Twitch explicitly states that it wishes to encourage its content creators to promote their Twitch livestreams on other platforms and services.
As a part of this, Twitch will also allow partners to advertise their other channels in Twitch panels and on their streams. Considering that other popular Twitch streamers like TimTheTatman, DrLupo, Valkyrae, Ludwig, and DrDisrespect decided to switch to YouTube Gaming over the last few years for various reasons, this new policy change will likely help in stemming the tide.
In other news, a Multiversus mods ban has wiped out Gus Fring, Master Chief, and more, and Battlefield 2042 season 3 will bring changes to specialists and a class system.
