In December 2023, Twitch, the largest online streaming platform in the world, announced it would be shutting down its operations in Korea. In a statement issued by the CEO, the platform explained the cost issues that ultimately led to the decision.
Twitch Will Cease All Operations In Korea — But Why?
Twitch also stated that it would help streamers transfer to local platforms like AfreecaTV, though streamer Nick De Cesare (LS) expressed some concerns for those who used the platform to make a living.
These concerns are completely valid — while there are alternatives, moving it to another platform can be hard once an audience has been established. Some streamers’ audiences are based outside of Korea, and not all viewers outside the country know the local platforms.
In a final act of protest, many streamers took action in the best way possible — streaming content that would get them banned from the platform anyway.
Of the many community guidelines that Twitch sets, one of the strongest enforced is one about certain sexual content.
To ensure content on Twitch is appropriate for diverse audiences,certain sexual content is prohibited, regardless of the medium used to create it (digital or non-digital). Users are prohibited from broadcasting, uploading, soliciting, offering, and linking to pornographic content.
— Twitch Community Guidelines
Multiple Korean Twitch streamers shared explicit content like Daeyoung2 playing hentai and adult games on his channel.
Streamer Irin Jjang streamed on her channel wearing a revealing outfit that would have normally been censored. An account that reports on Twitch Partners’ bans shared that multiple Korean accounts had been temporarily banned before Twitch was pulled, giving a hint at how many users participated in the protest.
❌ Twitch Partner “쵸코찡” has been banned! ❌https://t.co/9dzKIUfIBi#twitch #ban #firstban #partner #twitchpartner 🍈
— StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) February 27, 2024
❌ Twitch Partner “피아노캣” has been banned! ❌https://t.co/qOh8NqmVZo#twitch #ban #sixthban #partner #twitchpartner 📔
— StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) February 27, 2024
❌ Twitch Partner “정다별이” has been banned! ❌https://t.co/mJbXuxUSpK#twitch #ban #fourthban #partner #twitchpartner 📊
— StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) February 27, 2024
While Twitch has been pulled, some users can still use workarounds to access the site for work, though this protest was definitely memorable.
