Twitch has finally addressed the hot tub stream controversy that has been building since March, but certain parts of the Twitch community may not be pleased with what the company has to say. Although Twitch does acknowledge there is a problem that needs to be addressed, it draws a line between overtly sexually suggestive content and content that could be viewed as sexually suggestive. In other words, Twitch refuses to punish any woman – or any other streamer – for their perceived attractiveness, but swimwear streams clogging up the Just Chatting category is still an issue.
Although Twitch originated as a video game-centric platform, it has since evolved in many directions, including the hot tub streams. A number of people have been making a lot of money while lounging in hot tubs or at the beach. Accusations of misogyny, racism, and flaws in Twitch's Terms of Service have been flying ever since.
In a recent blog post, Twitch lays out an analysis of the issue, starting with an explanation for why it took so long to comment: it wanted to make sure it was addressing the problem thoughtfully and respectfully. The post asserts that no one deserves to be harassed and that a streamer being perceived as sexy is not against Twitch's guidelines. However, it is difficult to figure out where to draw the line concerning sexually suggestive content, and Twitch is planning to update its ambiguous Terms of Service in the next few months. In the meantime, the company has introduced a new "Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches" category for hot tub streamers to use.
The new category is not intended to be a permanent measure so much as a stopgap to keep hot tub streams out of the Just Chatting category as other streamers have requested. Twitch intends to reach out to creators with information on how to use this category in the near future. Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches being separated from Just Chatting should help audiences find what they want to watch and allow advertisers to opt-in or -out as they would for any other category.
Twitch also addressed hot tub streamer and cosplayer Amouranth having her ad revenue pulled indefinitely without notification. It appears the problem wasn't on Amouranth's end – Twitch occasionally suspends advertising on a given channel at the advertisers' request. Recently, Twitch suspended advertising on a number of channels flagged by the majority of advertisers and failed to notify the creators in question, which it acknowledges was a big mistake. Twitch has committed to working with individual creators to address the situation and restore ads where appropriate in the future.
Essentially, Twitch believes the problem is complex enough that it can't be resolved easily. The platform is anticipating great change over the coming months. Any further updates to the issue will be shared on Twitch's blog as they occur.