Streamers accuse Twitch of demonetizing channels for representing their countries

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I can’t help but feel disheartened and frustrated by this recent turn of events on Twitch. I remember when streaming was a haven for gamers like me, where we could share our passion for video games without fear or bias.


As a dedicated gamer streaming on Twitch, I’ve been hit by an unexpected issue: my channel is being demonetized, even though there are ads running. The catch? It seems to be due to the fact that I proudly represent my home country. This isn’t sitting well with me or many other streamers in a similar situation.

In recent weeks, Twitch has faced criticism over its management of bans, the type of content it permits, and allegations of antisemitism among prominent broadcasters. Now, the platform is embroiled in a fresh dispute.

On November 12th, FaZe Kaysan disclosed that no earnings from ad revenue had been paid to him throughout the entire month of November, even though he was displaying ads during his live streams.

Following a conversation with a friend on Twitch, I shared my predicament, and she conducted an investigation. It turned out that my account was demonetized, despite not having breached any of Twitch’s Community Guidelines.

As per Kaysan’s explanation, the problem occurred because ‘Iran’ was among the tags on his gaming stream while he was playing Call of Duty.

FaZe Kaysan discloses that Twitch stopped monetizing him, even though ads were shown and no payment was received, due to the presence of ‘Iran’ in his tags. This is because Kaysan hails from Iran. 🇮🇷

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) November 13, 2024

He clarified that he is of Iranian origin and has used the same label for approximately two years. He emphasized that he avoids discussing politics, and he’s interested to find out whether streamers such as Hasan have faced demonetization due to their political discussions.

Starting in early November, Twitch introduced an option for users to conceal live streams featuring political material. In this announcement, the distinctive platform cautioned that “some businesses may prefer not to display their advertisements next to streams labeled under certain Content Classification categories.

Kaysan stated that while he wasn’t ready to place full responsibility on Twitch, he mentioned that his contact at Twitch informed him that advertisers were avoiding political content due to the U.S. election, which might have led to complications with his Iran tag.

As a dedicated viewer and admirer of this exceptional streamer, I can’t help but feel their frustration when they expressed disappointment towards Twitch. They didn’t get a heads-up about the situation, leaving them in the dark for an entire month, unaware that there wouldn’t be any payment coming their way.

I’m about to start streaming live now, but just learned that Twitch demonetized me because I represent Venezuela. For an entire month, I haven’t earned a single penny from ads… Despite having listed Venezuela as one of my tags for quite some time now, this seems unreasonable. I stand to lose thousands of dollars due to this decision.

— Ex 🌟 (@ExSZN) November 13, 2024

It’s worth noting that Kaysan wasn’t an isolated case when it comes to unexpected demonetization, as BigEx also reported experiencing this issue. BigEx speculates that the reason for his lack of earnings might be due to having Venezuela listed as one of his tags.

He recently discovered that his Twitch account has been demoted due to showcasing his home country, Venezuela, over the last month, and as a result, he hasn’t earned a dime from ads. He finds this situation unreasonable because it means he’s lost a substantial amount of money.

TopMob has reached out to Twitch for comment.

With the election behind us, I’m left wondering if the ongoing tag issue will eventually be addressed, but in the meantime, a member of FaZe Clan isn’t being complacent about it. He plans to reluctantly part ways with the tag to generate some income.

“It almost feels like I’m selling out. I’m Iranian. I’m proud to be Iranian,” he said.

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2024-11-13 20:48