Emote Purge, Discord IPO, A New Hype Train Record + Spotify Partner Easier for Podcasters

Hello and welcome to the first official recap of 2026! Lots to go through today, including a massive global emote purge on Twitch, why Discord may be getting a lot more microtransactions soon, podcasts continue to have a lot of potential as platforms lean towards them, and how an AI streamer now has the hype train record on Twitch. Plus, as always, lots of other stories, some great opportunities for creators, industry jobs, and much more! So, without further ado, let's jump into it!

🟪 TWITCH

• Twitch purged a few dozen Global Emotes, including popular ones like PotFriend, Lechonk, and PoroSad.
• An exploit (likely third-party) changed Twitch creators' payout methods without their consent. Twitch eventually took action: locking accounts, requiring password changes, and updating payout methods for impacted creators.
• Twitch updated its Cookie Notices for the first time since 2019.
• January (tends) to be one of the best viewership months of the year on Twitch.
• Twitchcon Rotterdam 2026 call for content is now open.
• Twitch's Chief People Officer, Lauren Nunes, is leaving the company.

🟥 YOUTUBE

• YouTube has made a major update to Search. You can now filter by Shorts Only and Prioritize results by Relevance or Popularity, but you can no longer sort by newness (last hour, last week, last month).
• YouTube is testing a UI change that makes it harder to Dislike a Short.

⬛ TIKTOK

• TikTok will be the Preferred Platform for the FIFA World Cup.
• Contrary to Western media reports, a TikTok deal may not be as finalized as originally reported, as it still faces issues under Chinese law.
• TikTok Shop is working to bring more live content to malls.

🟦 DISCORD & TWITTER X

• Discord has confidentially filed for an IPO, possibly for a March listing.
• TwitterX is suing major music publishers, alleging collusion to force licensing deals.

🔲 OTHERS

• SOOP (formerly AfreecaTV) is launching an AI streaming assistant.