Big streamers like xQc, Myth, or Disguised Toast have been watching TV series on Twitch and reacting to them live in recent weeks. YouTube streamer Ludwig finds the trend not fundamentally bad, but warns of the consequences – not for the streamers themselves.
What is happening on Twitch? For several weeks now, well-known streamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel has repeatedly been watching MasterChef, a cooking show with Gordon Ramsay, on Twitch. He lets it run during the stream and then reacts live to the events.
As a result, a new kind of “Twitch meta” has formed. More and more streamers are watching TV series live with their viewers:
- Disguised Toast, who switched back to Twitch from Facebook in 2021, watched Naruto live with his followers
- Mizkif, on the other hand, showed the movie Home Alone during Christmas
- Ali “Myth” Kabbani recently watched Yu-Gi-Oh on Twitch
Showing such series on Twitch is actually not permitted according to the Terms of Service. It states that only things may be shown for which one has the rights.
This has already led to discussions in the past regarding the use of copyrighted music in live streams. Some streamers lived in fear of being banned. Because during the corona pandemic, the music industry began sending massive copyright complaints (DMCA strikes) to Twitch.
In the meantime, there is a somewhat half-hearted deal playing in gray areas between Twitch and the music industry:
This deal does not apply to showing series.
Ludwig warns of consequences for all as series are shown on Twitch
Who is speaking? Ludwig was one of the most well-known and influential streamers on Twitch in 2021. He drew attention to himself through a major sub-marathon and even broke a record set by Ninja in 2018.
In December 2021, he switched to YouTube, where he was immediately banned three times for using copyrighted content. Moreover, he was removed from Twitch’s year-in-review due to the switch.
What exactly does Ludwig say? In an 11-minute video, Ludwig sharply criticizes watching series. In his opinion, the reaction streams have gone “off the rails” and he calls for a “course correction before everything falls apart.”
Unlike previous problems with music, streamers cannot argue that they are adding artistic value, Ludwig believes. He sees the risk of bans for the streamers themselves, but also a general problem for Twitch:
I think this is a problem that will not only bite the people doing this in the ass, but also everyone on Twitch if the streamers do not calm down. Many people watching TV shows and movies don’t even delete their VODs. They are getting a bit too complacent. They are getting a little too reckless.
I think the outcome is not just that these people get a slap on the wrist. It could get much more catastrophic.
Ludwig further states that there have already been large companies that have gone under due to copyright lawsuits.
He assumes that if a “mega-company” were to take action against Twitch for copyright violations, Amazon would simply abandon the streamers who violated the rules, rather than risk a larger lawsuit.
Asmongold expects more celebrity and react content in the future
What do other streamers say about the topic? Already in December 2021, we reported that MMO streamer Asmongold expressed negative opinions about the development of Twitch.
He himself expects that the content will continue to shift away from gaming content and more towards react and celebrity content.
Asmongold explains why the future of Twitch consists of cooking shows and reality TV
