Content Classification Enforcement, Fanhouse Merger, and Yassuo Signs with Kick

I did an interview recently with Avi Gandhi's Creator Logic. Avi was previously the Head of Creator Partnerships at Patreon and, so naturally, has had a lot of interactions with creators from various fields. But immediately, something about the way he was asking questions stood out to me - particularly as it related to success and growth. By that, I mean for most non-live creators, the key metric of success is the view count increasing. With streaming, the measure of success is often seeing a name you recognize in chat. It's more than the number - it's about people. That difference is likely what makes it hard for brands, marketers, and PR to understand the value of 10 viewers compared to 10'000 views. It made me feel excited about the future of live streaming (but also recognizing we have a long way to go!)

Speaking of feelings, How are you feeling? <- That is a short two-question survey asking how you feel about the streaming space and how you feel compared to a year ago. It's completely anonymous, and I'll share the results in next week's newsletter. It could be a fun thing to do each week! But with that, let's get into the news!

Twitch News

Content Classification enforcement starts this week (July 20). Note: Increasing evidence suggests that creators who receive a warning will also lose instant emote upload eligibility.
A new experiment to show New Engaged vs. Returning Engaged ᵀ viewers is now active. An engaged viewer is logged in and watches for 5 minutes. A returning engaged viewer is one that comes back within three years.
Dan Clancy was interviewed about his growing career as a live streamer - and some chat about being the CEO of Twitch.
Clancy also talked about how 'Twitch is not a video game platform' in an interview with France's La Monde.
Mikey Minty and Tom Verilli were on Dropped Frames.
Eurogamer interviewed creators on how the Partner Plus Program is "Anti-Community." They also interviewed streamers who expressed disappointment in the LGBTQ+ Pride Month campaign.
Forbes wrote about the "Billion Dollar Death Match" between Twitch and Kick.
According to public tax information, Twitch's Spanish business is losing money, having paid just €8000 in taxes in 2022.
Rolling Stone has shut down their Twitch channel. ᵀ RS was one of the few brands that really understood Twitch. If the brands who understand the space can't survive - not great.
Fred Rubenstein, former Senior Manager of Creator Acquisitions & Development, has left to join Sony Music Nashville.