Twitch has updated platform rules, officially banning “waiting room” channels that duplicate content from big streamers, unless those channels belong to the streamers themselves. This decision comes in response to the growing number and viewership of such channels and numerous complaints from content creators.
For instance, top American streamer CaseOh has duplicates like CaseOh_Streamingg, caseohlives, and caseoh_streams. These clone channels can number in the dozens and are often created by moderators or fans of the original channel. They typically showcase highlights from the streamer’s previous broadcasts to keep viewers engaged while the main channel is offline. 'Waiting room' channels are dedicated to many top streamers, and not just English-speaking ones.
However, not all such channels are safe. Some are created by scammers looking to exploit unsuspecting fans. For example, a clone channel might stream a repeat broadcast along with prohibited advertisements or lure viewers into clicking on referral links to dubious websites. It’s worth noting that Twitch usually acts quickly to block such scam streams, and this issue is distinct from the new rule regarding waiting rooms.
According to Streams Charts, the popularity of clone channels has surged in recent months, especially those featuring keywords like "waiting", "room", "lofi", and "vod" in their titles. In the past six months, the viewership for these channels has increased nearly 1053%.
Many of these clone channels have gained sufficient traction to achieve Affiliate status, which enables them to run official advertisements from the platform. This Affiliate status can also confuse inattentive viewers, who may unintentionally subscribe to these clone channels.
Let's have a look at the sample of top US streamers, including CaseOh, Kai Cenat, and Jynxzi. Dozens of channels restream their content, and the audience of these channels continues to grow. For example, Jynxzi's clone channels generated over 300K Hours Watched in just one week of September, accounting for about one-third of the original channel's viewership.
Twitch has pledged to increase oversight of clone channels but will not block streams that provide reactions to live broadcasts. This means that reacting to or commenting on someone else's content is still considered valid.
Another exception will be clone channels promoted by the streamers themselves. For instance, LIRIK operates his own clone channel, LIRIK247, which features 24/7 replays of his streams. Additionally, Twitch administrators have stated that they will not block waiting room channels that are not tied to specific individuals, but rather focus on broader topics, such as patch releases or game launches.
