Twitch Expands Simulcast Rules, Allowing Streamers to Broadcast on YouTube and Kick

Twitch has announced that it is further broadening its simulcast rules, allowing streamers to live broadcast their streams on additional platforms such as YouTube and Kick. However, streamers who have an exclusivity agreement with Twitch will not be able to take advantage of this new feature.

Twitch VP of community product, Jeremy Forrester, stated during an interview with Polygon at TwitchCon, “We truly believe that Twitch is the best service to be a live, interactive creator, and we want to give streamers more freedom in just how they want to build their communities.”

This announcement follows a wave of high-profile streamer departures from Twitch. According to a Forbes report, Kick recently signed popular streamer and FaZe Clan co-owner, Nickmercs, to a one-year contract worth approximately $10 million. Other notable signings by Kick include Amouranth, Twitch’s most popular female streamer, and former pro-Overwatch player xQc, who was offered a $100 million deal. Additionally, YouTube has successfully signed on streamers such as Valkyrae, Ludwig, Sykkuno, LilyPichu, and more, partly due to changes in Twitch’s revenue share split.

Forrester clarified that the talent departures did not drive the expanded simulcast policy and stated that it was “community driven.” He emphasized that it showcased Twitch’s commitment to listening to creator concerns and reacting to them when possible.

Another interesting aspect of the new guidelines is the opportunity for streamers who have left Twitch to become Twitch Partners again. According to the guidelines, Twitch Partners whose previous agreements were terminated because they left for another service and notified Twitch beforehand can reinstate their Partnership status.

Twitch is also recognizing the importance of cross-platform discovery. In August, Twitch updated its simulcast guidelines to include TikTok and Instagram. TikTok has become a valuable tool for streamers to attract new fans by showcasing highlights from their streams. Additionally, Twitch recently introduced its own short video feature called “stories.”

While Twitch is expanding its simulcasting options, there are still rules in place to prevent streamers from redirecting traffic to other platforms or engaging with fan communities simultaneously. Streamers must ensure that the quality of the Twitch user’s experience is not compromised and are prohibited from using third-party apps that merge chat features or providing links that encourage followers to leave Twitch for a simulcast on another platform.

Jeremy Forrester remained optimistic, stating, “We believe that creators will do it with the intent to help bring people to Twitch.”