In order to be a partner on Twitch, one of the requirements that came with it was to live stream exclusively on Twitch. Tuesday, Twitch sent out an email to partners that this is no longer the case. Twitch partners can stream on any platform they want. In the email, Twitch wrote “starting today, you are now allowed to create live content on other platforms. This means that you have more flexibility to explore how to use different, off-platform features to further build your community and interact with streamers off Twitch.”
“When we first developed the Partner Program, we felt it was important for streamers to focus solely on Twitch for live streaming to build their communities,” Twitch explained. “We still believe that Twitch is the best place for creators to build and engage with their community. We also recognize that the digital landscape has changed since we first introduced the Partner Program and that many of you engage with your communities in many different places. So, we are updating our policy. We will no longer be enforcing this portion of your agreement and will be updating terms early next year.”
Twitch Partners can stream on whatever platform they want. They can also multi-steam, but only on mobile services. “To clarify, we do not allow simulcasting on web-based, Twitch-like services that support streaming for extended periods of time such as YouTube and Facebook, because we believe engaging with two streams at once can lead to a sub-optimal experience for your community,” Twitch said. “However, we know many of you want to use other services to grow your community, so simulcasting on short form, mobile services, such as TikTok or Instagram Live, is allowed.”
Despite Twitch saying that they will no longer be enforcing simulcasting to all platforms, current and former Twitch employees said that the company quietly stopped warning Partners months ago. They also said that Twitch wasn’t enforcing that rule in the past anyway. Some Partners said on Twitter they were simulcasting for months and nothing happened.
Twitch Affiliates, one down from Partners, didn’t face any issues simulcasting. Devin Nash, Co-Founder of Novo, a talent and creative agency that has worked with numerous top streamers say that Twitch Partners could always do a lot of what Twitch is now calling a loosening of the leash.