A well-known German Twitch streamer had problems with his internet for over two years. A costly technology that is otherwise used in war zones is now providing relief.
Who is it about? Simon Schildgen is better known to most as GamerBrother on Twitch and YouTube. The streamer is one of the most well-known content creators regarding FIFA and FC 24. Due to his profession, he relies on a functioning internet connection, which was supposedly guaranteed by his provider when he bought his new house.
However, there were so many issues with the internet that the content creator was even featured in a ZDF documentary on “Digital Fail.”
GamerBrother is particularly known for content related to FIFA games and EA FC.
Twitch streamer fights with internet provider for 2 years
What’s the problem? Shortly after moving into his new property, GamerBrother experienced increasing issues with his connection during streams, leading to choppy gameplay and even game crashes. For the streamer, this is a complete disaster, considering he must provide seamless content to his viewers in order to earn money.
This was accompanied by a two-year feud with his internet provider, which could often be followed live by his viewers. GamerBrother became a frequent caller to the customer hotline. The dispute even escalated on social media: On X, then still Twitter, the streamer publicly argued with customer service.
A short summary of the issue can be seen in the first 4 minutes of the ZDFinfo documentary “Digital Fail: The Failure of Digitization in Germany” on YouTube.
In the short interview snippets, GamerBrother describes the problem in more detail. Instead of the promised 50 Mbit, especially during prime time for streamers, between 6 PM and 11 PM, only 1-2 Mbit reached him. Too little to stream for several thousand viewers.
Internet outages cost streamer more than 1/3 of his viewers
What are the consequences of poor internet quality? The ongoing difficulties temporarily forced GamerBrother to take a streaming break.
In the summer of 2022, he was unable to stream for long periods repeatedly. In the interview, he assesses the economic damage caused as follows: “It amounts to several thousand euros, when you do not stream over such a long period.”
At some point, the viewers also lost interest in following the stream, “because they naturally want something stable to watch,” GamerBrother continued. According to the streamer, a two- to three-minute streaming interruption could already mean losing up to 35% of the audience for an evening.
No agreement with provider, GamerBrother upgrades himself
What did the provider do? Despite numerous calls to his internet provider, there was no improvement in sight. The provider constantly denied any responsibility.
The only response he received to his complaints: His connection was working perfectly. However, it was not designed for professional streaming. Additionally, there had been technical disturbances in the past, for which they were not responsible. (via YouTube)
How was the problem solved? GamerBrother therefore had to rethink and has since acquired a so-called “multi-instance failover LTE.” According to the streamer, this is actually meant for use in war zones. Of course, this also comes with a price. The content creator spends around 300 to 500 € monthly on this technology.
He seems to have gained control over his internet problems again, as he has been streaming regularly every week since FC 24. On his YouTube channel, there have not been any videos like “GamerBrother has LIVE beef with Vodafone on the phone” for a while – which is a good sign.
The documentary, meanwhile, aired again on April 17, 2024, so the topic is still relevant.
Professionally, the internet outages do not seem to have harmed GamerBrother in the long run: He is the most-watched German streamer for EA FC 24 and even ranks among the top 5 internationally (via SullyGnome).
In his streams, he regularly reaches nearly 8,000 viewers on average – all without interruptions. This is a good thing because the Team of the Season (TOTS) is soon approaching in EA FC 24, one of the biggest events of the year. Here on MeinMMO you can find all the relevant information: All info and leaks about the TOTS
