Twitch Streamers Hesitant to Re-Broadcast Movies and TV Shows Due to DMCA Concerns
Popular Twitch streamer DisguisedToast recently discussed the hesitancy among streamers when it comes to re-broadcasting movies and television series on the platform. This practice, known as the “streaming meta,” involves streaming shows like Master Chef and Lord of the Rings, but it comes with the risk of receiving DMCA claims despite Twitch staff warnings.
During his recent broadcast, DisguisedToast questioned why viewers were only watching Master Chef. He answered his own rhetorical question by stating, “Well, I don’t want to take that risk.” To drive his point home, he compared the new streaming situation to scenarios in the popular Netflix series Squid Game.
“It’s like the glass game from Squid Game,” DisguisedToast explained. “You see one guy jump onto a glass pane and he doesn’t fall to his death, and everyone jumps on it.” Drawing this analogy, Master Chef gained popularity among streamers like xQc and Hasanabi who wanted to test if reacting to the television program would result in a ban or not.
Once certain streamers took the metaphorical leap and faced no consequences, others became anxious to see who would be the next to jump. According to DisguisedToast, though, many people are “too scared” to take the risk because they don’t want to jeopardize their livelihood.
DisguisedToast expressed his willingness to take the leap himself, stating, “So here I come on the Naruto glass pane. You know what? fuck it. I’m going to jump on the glass pane.” As of now, he remains unbanned and hasn’t received any DMCA claims, leading him to remain optimistic. He added, “Well, it has only been a week and it hasn’t broken yet. Now what? Mizkif sees that and says ‘oh, that isn’t breaking? Well, what about the Avatar glass pane?'”
Countless streamers have experimented with these streaming strategies, and for now, it seems like these shows and movies are fair game. However, Twitch warns that DMCA claims could be issued by companies at any moment, potentially changing the landscape.