The online game Fortnite made Tyler “Ninja” Blevins the biggest streamer in the world. He is planning a huge Fortnite event for New Year’s Eve. But there’s trouble days in advance. Streamers like DrDisrespect are complaining about Twitch, as they are being forced to promote Ninja.
What is Ninja planning for New Year’s Eve? Tyler “Ninja” Blevins wants to hold a marathon stream at Times Square in New York on December 31st.
From 10 PM (German time) until 10:00 AM the next morning, he plans to stream for 12 hours. It will probably be a lot about Fortnite, the game that made Ninja so popular. After all, he is the first streamer with more than 10 million followers on Twitch.
Ninja promises some surprises and “special guests” with whom he will stream.
The Twitch star plans to set up a complete streaming setup above Times Square. They are expecting a million visitors on-site. Many New Yorkers traditionally celebrate the New Year at Times Square.
“Never do that again”
Here’s the problem: Apparently Twitch itself wants to promote this event by Ninja and has therefore run ads for the stream on other Twitch streamers’ channels, in the so-called “Pre-Roll.”
They could not remove this advertising themselves, as the ad spots were part of the ad roll that is outside their control.
The streamers are reacting irritably.
So DrDisrespect tweeted: “Dear Twitch, take this ugly New Year’s Eve advertisement off my page. Don’t ever do it again. Never again.”
Other streamers express their problems a bit more calmly. MadtownMaverick says: “If the advertising is outside the site, then it’s okay, but when you’ve planned a New Year’s event, it’s annoying that Twitch pushes ads for someone else’s channel on you.”
However, if Twitch were to advertise the event outside of Twitch, that would be okay.
Other streamers speak of a “conflict of interest.”
Many are probably also bothered by Twitch’s preferential treatment for Ninja. Because the New Year’s event is broadcast on Ninja’s channel and not on a “neutral” Twitch channel that is then advertised.
Twitch is biased here and directly supports the already largest channel of an individual.
Nina asks: What is your problem? Is it me?
This is what Ninja says: Ninja himself commented in a tweet, which he later deleted.
In it, he says that millions of people will watch the event and they will get to know Twitch. This, in turn, would help other streamers gain new viewers.
Ninja asks: What don’t you like? Or is it just me?
Twitch cancels the spots
This is what Twitch says: Twitch has now intervened and pulled the emergency brake. The ad spots are now out. From Hassan Bokhari, the Partnership Account Manager at Twitch, it is said that it is definitely not the fault of a streamer, and one should not blame them for it.
He does not know all the details, but he knows that the ads have now been removed from the rotation.
Who is the face of Twitch?
What about DrDisrespect and Ninja? It is unclear whether DrDisrespect really has a problem with Ninja or if it is part of the role he plays. However, a rivalry seems likely.
DrDisrespect was the face of Twitch last year, and Ninja is that in 2018:
- 2017 was the year of PUBG and in the course of that, of DrDisrespect on Twitch. In 2017, he won many awards and was considered the new star and new face of Twitch. Like PUBG, the Doctor is also rather “controversial” and a character with edges and corners.
- 2018 belongs to Fortnite and Ninja. Like Fortnite, Ninja is considered rather “brand-safe” and comes across as smooth and approachable. After all, he even refrains from cursing, which he was known for in the past.
DrDisrespect at least plays the annoyed one on camera when it comes to Ninja’s achievements and awards (via Dexerto).
DrDisrespect has repeatedly stated, that he doesn’t like Fortnite and the whole culture around it. Fortnite is kitschy, and those who stream it do so for money. He himself tried to get involved but couldn’t because he grew up with better games.
To what extent DrDisrespect has a personal problem with Ninja is hard to say. That could also all be part of his “on-air personality,” which maintains an oversized ego, thinks of itself as the greatest, and much of which is apparently only meant ironically.
Moreover, DrDisrespect has played and streamed Fortnite again in recent days.
However, he has probably been annoyed by the advertising measures for Ninja on his own channel, as many other streamers have as well.
