Twitch Suffered During #ADayOffTwitch Protest

Twitch took a hit on September 1 when numerous streamers and viewers protested the platform. Users vowed to not use the platform on September 1 in solidarity with people who have been exposed to excessive level of harassment.

It seems like the move was effective enough to have caused a drop in viewership and engagement across the platform on that day. The strike was planned weeks in advance and it was one of the many ways the platform struggled on September 1. TimTheTatman, who is a massive streamer had also announced he was leaving the platform.

This was to pursue an exclusive deal with YouTube Gaming along with DrLupo. TimTheTatman leaving was unrelated to the Twitch controversy, however, this did play a major role as well. The decline in the engagement got affected along with Twitch’s reputation. TimTheTatman noted that he was joining YouTube Gaming for many reasons at the time.

The platform’s relationship with its streamers has been on thin ice ever since last month. Creators have pushed back against the platform’s lack of action for things such as harassment. The data was collected by CreatorHype’s Zach Bussey and SullyGnome for September 1; and it showed that it was the second-lowest day for Twitch viewers in the last 30 days.

There was a 10-12% drop in the number of active streamers who were broadcasting on the platform. Zach revealed that even factors such as school starting up, streamers moving to other platforms; inflated numbers during Gamescom also play a part in the decrease of viewership could be as low as 5%.

Twitch has agreed to do more; but it is likely that streamers and viewers will only be more frustrated until the changes actually are reflected in practice. The platform has also addressed issues with chat filters; however, some are still demanding more tools be put in place such as two-factor authentication and other methods.