Twitch launches subscriber-only streams to backlash

Streaming service Twitch, well-known for making millionaires out of various gaming personalities, has launched a new feature that would allow streamers to restrict access only to subscribers who pay a monthly fee towards that specific streamer.

However, the policy has created much controversy surrounding everything from community divides to ToS violations.

The subscriber-only streams are only available to those streamers officially recognized by Twitch as affiliates or partners, and furthermore only to those partners in good standing. For those who make a living on of Twitch subscriptions and donations, the idea of shifting to a model where said income can be abruptly cut off based on “standing” appears overly risky.

Those with large existing communities of fans face the prospect of dividing said communities between those who pay and those who don’t, drawing the ire of their supporters as they would be effectively locking content behind a paywall.

Perhaps most dangerous, however, is the fact that requiring payment to view a stream violates the terms of service of many major game developers.

Companies such as Blizzard, Valve, and Riot, all of whom operate games with major streaming communities, all have conditions in their legal terms forbidding the activity of charging viewers a fee to view productions, streams, or videos.

These terms do not apply to the traditional model of streaming to the general public and making money through donations or advertising contracts, but the act of locking gameplay behind payment could see a streamer banned from games or platforms for violations of ToS.