The ongoing hot tub controversy has spawned a number of takes and opinions. Some target the women that choose to monetize their bodies via Twitch, while others are upset that Twitch's lack of clear guidelines has caused such a loophole. Streamers like Amouranth have been wildly successful with hot tub streams; she even passed up Pokimane as the biggest female streamer on Twitch. But not everyone is happy to see these content creators find success. Many are hoping Twitch takes down any sexually suggestive content on Twitch once and for all.
But rather than do that, Amouranth recently revealed that Twitch has indefinitely suspended ads on her channel, without prior notice. While ads may or may not appear on her channel going forward — Amouranth has said that this hasn't been made clear to her — she will not get a cut of these profits. However, while she said that she's not personally concerned about her own revenue, as her income from different places such as sponsorships and subs, this could be problematic for those who are making a living on hot tub streams. It also doesn't address the bigger issue: Twitch's ambiguous Terms of Service.
Why This is Problematic For Twitch Streamers
Many use content creation, including full-time Twitch streaming as a form of income, including Pokimane. Many turned to Twitch and other types of online content creation during the pandemic, and for some lucky folks it turned out to be a viable way of supporting themselves in the long run. Pulling ad revenue from their videos can potentially be quite harmful.
But the bigger problem, as the cosplayer Amouranth explained, is that Twitch made this change to her channel without warning, she claims. If Twitch had warned her prior to taking action, she could have decided to address the issue and change her content before getting ad revenue pulled completely and indefinitely.
Additionally, it's unclear what this means for streamers that aren't part of the hot tub meta but have been issued short bans for NSFW content, such as body painter KK Sparkles. According to Twitch guidelines, there shouldn't have been a reason for her strike, KK Sparkles stated on Twitter, as her content isn't sexual in nature. As Amouranth pointed out, there are no clear guidelines that state what is considered "advertiser-friendly" or not, so there's little guidelines for streamers to protect themselves.
Meanwhile, when it comes to hot tub streams, it's clear what the sexually suggestive content is referring to, and Twitch has yet to draw a clear line as to what is allowed on the platform and what is not.
Why This Won't Satisfy Twitch Users
Again, the true issue regarding Amouranth's situation is that Twitch has yet to address the hot tub meta. Previously, Twitch attempted to host a new series called Let's Chat at the height of this controversy. The Let's Chat streams were supposed to be an open forum for Twitch's users to ask questions and bring up concerns. However, it became clear that Twitch wasn't expecting the onslaught of negativity after djWHEAT refused to take a firm stance on the issue. Instead, Twitch is recommending the use of the "Not Interested" button on its platform.
Likewise, many content creators such as Pokimane, as well as Twitch viewers, have pointed out the lack of clarity in Twitch's guidelines regarding sexually explicit content and simply want an answer. Is it allowed on Twitch, or isn't it? Pulling ad revenue without prior notification doesn't address this question, but does take away the incentive to do it.
It's unclear why Twitch would choose not to warn its users that it might pull ad revenue from their channels if they keep creating content deemed not "advertiser-friendly," as Amouranth was told. But in this case, quietly pulling ad revenue and continuing to be non-transparent is likely hurting the Twitch community more than it's helping.