Over 10 major companies have suspended advertising on Twitch over the platform’s response to alleged antisemitic content according to a report by Richard Lewis.
The controversy started in October, when it was revealed Twitch had prevented users in Israel from joining the streaming platform for a full year following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
The streaming site and its CEO Dan Clancy also faced calls by Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres to “stop popularizing those who popularize antisemitism.”
In particular, Torres singled out Hasan’s political streams, saying “platforming any of these terrorist organizations, as Piker has done, is beyond the pale.”
Twitch’s CEO has come under fire for his response to antisemitism allegations on Twitch.
Although Clancy responded to the concerns in a blog post where he emphasized that Twitch wouldn’t tolerate antisemitism or Islamophobia, companies have reportedly paused their ads on the site.
As reported by Richard Lewis, “a number of significant companies have paused their advertising spending with the streaming platform” and cited allegations of antisemitism as the reason why.
Lewis reports that 11 corporations and agencies that represent multiple companies have paused spending.
Of note, Chevron was said to be furious at a TwitchCon panel segment where streamers rated content creators from “Arab” to “Loves Sabra” while a Chevron logo was displayed in the background. Critics of the segment noted that while Sabra can refer to a type of hummus, it also means someone who is born in Israel.
“After the clip from the panel went viral Chevron was very angry,” a Twitch employee said. “Having their logo in the background of a clip being used as an example of antisemitism prompted some very awkward conversations.”
In an attempt to be more advertiser-friendly, Twitch added a new stream label for political and “sensitive social issues” allowing companies to opt out of having their ads on that content.
However, while some companies viewed this change as sufficient, others wanted more done and have continued to suspend ads.
“Some see it as covering up the problem rather than addressing it,” the source claimed. “And so they’re not coming back to the platform until something more direct happens.”
It appears streamers are beginning to feel some pain in their wallets due to the advertiser boycott. Streamers Kaysan and BigEx revealed they had been demonetized on the platform for having Iran and Venezuela in their channel tags.
Others, such as xQc and PirateSoftware are convinced that Twitch isn’t undergoing an “adpocalyse” as many others have feared.
Meanwhile, Twitch is continuing to make policy updates. On November 15, at the request of the ADL, the site banned the word “Zionist” when used to “attack or demean another individual or group of people on the basis of their background or religious belief is against our rules.”