Twitch Sponsorships, YouTube's Live Control Panel, Emote Inflation, and Snoop Dogg Out at Faze

Last night, after I finished writing this newsletter, I stayed up very late using AI tools to try and make a current meme. It wasn't great, but it was my first attempt, and I was like, "Hey, I did something new!" and went to bed proud of myself. I woke up to show some people expecting praise and maybe some critique, BUT... Every. Single. Person. I've shown it to say it's not good. Ouch. That's how it goes sometimes. You're rarely going to be good at things the first time you try them, but if you're surrounded by yes men, maybe you don't even know you suck at something or that the idea isn't a good one. That's not to say you should listen to haters - but when people you trust give you negative feedback on something, listen to it and learn! With that, let's get into the news!

Twitch News

• Categories can now be sorted by language, including multiple language support.
• Twitch's new unreliable ads estimate program is live. It's unclear if this has always been the case, but it's the first time it's been publicly explained that advertisers can choose content to avoid putting their ads against.
• Twitch will test five sponsorship-related products, including Channel Skins, Streamer Read Ads, Sponsored Gift Subs, Sub Codes, and Subsidized Sub Discounts. The community has generally been skeptical about how this will benefit them if Twitch takes 50% of sponsor dollars. Karl Jacobs was especially critical, calling it a "malicious and manipulative bandaid solution." CMO Mike Minton attempted to clarify this will be something supplemental, not a replacement.
• Digiday wrote, "How Twitch Lost its Grip with the Streaming Community."
• The Women's Liberation Front has been removed from Twitch's Charity Tool.