Hello and welcome to the last day of March! A ton of updates for you this week, including Twitch's brand safety guidelines, YouTube Shorts are about to get a lot more views, Discord updated the UI for everyone while adding some new features, and Adin Ross was unbanned. That last one perplexes me, and I've been trying to analyze why Dan Clancy would do it. So, at the end of this newsletter, you'll find my general ~500-word analysis of the situation and why it's so confusing.
In other news, today's newsletter is sponsored by Streamloots! More on them below, but a big thank you to them! And now, let's jump into the news!
Platform Updates
🟪 TWITCH
- For the first time, Twitch released Advertiser-Friendly Content Guidelines. It details content standards, labels, and a new section about content suspensions with brand safety implications (and outcomes).
- Twitch's upcoming "Day 1 Monetization" has a catch: you can't withdraw any money until you become an Affiliate, but you can spend it on-site. Check out my video on this update.
- Ghost Trains (an experiment that triggers Hype Train in non-monetary ways) may get an 'off' toggle if they release it more widely.
- There are new Hype Train Emotes designed by AttacRacc, Plush, ToffeeTokki, MaiberryArt, and TacoDemuerte.
- New Global Animated Emote: INZOIPsyCat
- Twitch promoted 13 new ambassadors, including SandExperiment, Rudism, MCroft, Knirpz, InDeeDee, Lossayyy, Yoshimyan, TheOrionSound, StreamwithLien, Thorlar, TinyToxicTofu, Supercatkei, and Rosannatxt.
- Twitch was granted a default judgment in its lawsuit against the Russian oligarch's son, who had sued it for what amounted to all the money in the world. The Russian did not show up in court. Thus, the case went Twitch's way.
- Twitch's iOS Beta app has a new dark icon.
- Twitch's Legal documentation has received a cosmetic update.
🟥 YOUTUBE
- YouTube Shorts will now count every view rather than requiring a few seconds of viewing to count as a view.
- YouTube is testing more intelligent notifications to optimize for people who receive too many.
- The "Take a Break" feature is launching for all Live creators.
- YouTube is reportedly adding dynamically read swappable ads to its podcast feature.
- YouTube is testing allowing Premium members to give out ten videos ad-free to 10 other people.
⬛ TIKTOK
- TikTok has made adding a second camera to TikTok Studio easier by scanning a QR code while on the same WiFi network.
- TikTok Shop is slated to launch today in France, Germany, and Italy.
- TikTok Live has a new "Service+" function that allows specific content services to reach clients.
🟦 TWITTER X
- Elon Musk's xAI acquired Elon Musk's Twitter X.
⏹️ DISCORD
- Everyone is now updated to the new UI first spotted a couple of weeks ago.
- There are new free themes and UI density settings.
- The Game Overlay got an update, as did some other features.
- Decorative nameplates have been rolled out to 1% of users.
🔲 OTHERS
- Clubhouse is working on paid features like anonymous listening.
- Playback, described as 'Twitch for Sports', raised $22M in funding and announced a partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB).
Creator Industry News
- Deloitte released the 2025 Digital Trends and Social Media report.
- Streamloots makes monetization much more fun for your community with card interactions (TCG-style), subs, and an auction tool you won’t find anywhere else. You can use it on ANY platform and keep 80%+, paid twice a month! Try it now!
- Spotify is opening its Partner Program to nine new markets on April 29th, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
- According to Hello Partner, content creation is a side hustle for 88% of creators.
- Multiple reports suggested StreamElements Merch sales data was breached and being sold on the grey market. A member of the hacker group confirmed my data was in the breach (plus more insight). StreamElements made a statement that a third-party provider was breached.
Creator Stories
- Twitch unbanned Adin Ross after a two-year suspension.
- Barack Obama joined Bluesky
Keys & Careers
🎲 Avermedia Partner Program (UK)
🎲 Sonic Rumble Creator Program (YT Shorts)
🎲 Unbox Razer Products
🎲 Co-stream Triple-i Initiative
🎲 PAX Australia Creator Registration
🗝️ Cinema Simulator
🗝️ For Her
🗝️ Grit and Valor 1949
🗝️ Hitman 2 (PSVR2)
🗝️ Imagine Earth Galaxies DLC
🗝️ Mother Machine
🗝️ Prelude Dark Pain
🗝️ Somber Echoes
🗝️ Steel Seed
🗝️ The Deadly Path
🌎 Community Manager at Vans (On-Site, New York, USA)
🌎 Community Manager at 2K (Hybrid, Seoul, South Korea)
🌎 Community Manager at 2K (Hybrid, Tokyo, Japan)
🌎 Global Community Lead at Bungie (Remote, USA)
🌎 Director of Community at Scopely (Remote, USA)
🤝 Creator Growth Manager at Epic Games (Hybrid, USA)
🤝 Talent & Influencer Manager at 2K (Hybrid, London, UK)
🎨 2D Game Artist at Armor Games ($500 Contract)
⌨️ Senior Software Engineer at Roblox (Hybrid, San Mateo, USA)
📈 Health and Safety Manager at Take Two (Hybrid, London, UK)
