Tag Archives: Video hosting

Streamer Amouranth Says She Is Being Abused By Her Husband

Streamer and content creator Kaitlyn Siragusa, aka Amouranth, has said on camera earlier today that she has been the subject of abuse, with her husband accused of making a series of manipulative threats against her.

Content warning: abuse

In a video streamed earlier today, Amouranth is seen speaking on the phone with a man she says is her husband, who can be heard initially denying Amouranth’s claims that he has made threats to kill her dogs. The man later claims to have control over Amouranth’s bank accounts.

Amouranth says her husband has been forcing her to stream at times against her wishes, and later shows a series of text messages where she is called a “dumb fuck” among other abusive threats like dumping her luggage off a hotel balcony and deleting her social media presence. The messages also show threats to “blow” $500,000 of Amouranth’s money by donating it to a bird sanctuary.

Her husband is also accused of coercing her to broadcast content, like telling her to “commit to the grind because it was a good financial opportunity” and continue posting a high number of “hot tub” videos even when she didn’t want to, or driving her to engage in events like lengthy streams because he had made threats against her.

Despite having been a prominent public figure for years now, this is the first time Amouranth has publicly discussed her marriage; she said earlier today that this was because of what her husband said were commercial reasons, as he felt that were she to reveal that she was married, it would “ruin the business model”.

“You want me to tell them I’m single”, she says at one point, “it’s about to be true, you piece of shit”.

Amouranth also says in the video that her husband has seen a therapist for his behaviour, which was labelled “a form of psychological abuse”, and that she has been living in what is essentially a “fancy prison”.

While the footage is not available on Amouranth’s Twitch page, this Twitter thread by @HUN2R, which spans four videos, covers most of the allegations:

The man’s identity is never disclosed in the video. We have contacted Twitch for comment and will update if we hear back.

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Streamers Aren’t Liking Twitch’s Potential Money Making Idea

It’s a bold move Twitch, let’s see if it pays off.
Screenshot: TikTok / bradeazy / Kotaku

Twitch is reportedly considering major changes to the monetization practices that streamers are upset about because the potentially lopsided percentages work out to pad Twitch’s bottom line.

According to a Bloomberg report, Amazon, Twitch’s parent company, is considering multiple changes to its partner program in order to boost its profits. These changes include a new revenue split from subscriptions, a new tier system, and bolstering advertisements.

One of the monetization changes under consideration is a revenue cut from subscriptions for partnered streamers, Twitch’s most popular streamers. The proposed cut would decrease the revenue partnered streamers make from subscriptions from 70% to 50%.

Another proposal Twitch is considering is adding a tiers system for partnered streamers. According to Bloomberg, these tiers detail the criteria a streamer must meet to receive 50% or 70% of revenue from their subscription. In exchange to this proposal, anonymous sources told Bloomberg that Twitch might release streamers from their exclusivity in their contracts, which will allow them to stream on Twitch’s competitor sites like YouTube and Facebook Gaming potentially to recoup any cut revenue.

Twitch is also reportedly considering incentives for more advertising through “revenue-sharing arrangement,” that Bloomberg says will present “a more lucrative model for streamers.”

Twitch streamers haven’t taken kindly to the news of Twitch’s proposed changes to its partnership program. Twitch streamer PleasantlyTwstd told Kotaku that she isn’t surprised by Twitch exploring these changes. If changes hit the website this summer as they are now, PleasantlyTwstd said smaller streamers will have “little to no incentive” to grow their channels on the platform.

“Smaller streamers I think are going to have little to no incentive at this stage to really push for growth,” PleasantlyTwstd said. “It’s going to start feeling like to make a payout you have to hit more subs and the struggle at current is discoverability at all.”

PleasantlyTwstd said she would like to see streamers be brought into the conversation about Twitch’s monetization changes so they are advocated “in earnest.”

“Twitch has been kind of in a holding pattern where their priority is making the platform more money but until they actually try to work more closely with the people who make them money or freely create tools, they’re just going to keep throwing out ideas and ‘initiatives’ that fall flat,” she said.

Leftist streamer Hasan “Hasanabi” Piker took to Twitter saying the reason Twitch made these changes is due to the company not viewing itself as having competition within the livestreaming space, so there’s little reason to offer something that’s truly compelling for its users.

“[I] love twitch but it seems like they’re moving away from [content creators] to fix their profits,” Piker said in a tweet. “Nearly my entire revenue comes from subscribers who elect to give me $5 a month. Twitch doesn’t consider the 50/50 split it takes from smaller creators in that process profitable enough. That’s wild.”

“Subscriptions are more important to the life of every streamer than almost any other utility Twitch offers and to touch the split is to financially devastate and potentially remove thousands of full-time creators from your platform it immediately,” JERICHO said.

“What a joke. Makes it worse for everyone except Twitch themselves,” Jacksepticeye said.

“Twitch is INSANE if they think this will go over well,” Max “Gassy Mexican” Gonzalez said. “Like actually will shake the platform in the worst way possible.”

Kotaku reached out to Twitch for comment.

While these proposed changes are reported to hit the website as soon as this summer, anonymous sources told Bloomberg none of these changes have been finalized.

   



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Twitch Considering Cutting Streamer Pay to Boost Profits

Photo: Martin Bureau (Getty Images)

2022 is shaping up to be a rough year for content creators and sellers trying to make living through major tech platforms. Sellers on Amazon and Etsy are already facing increased fees and now new pay cuts may reportedly make their way to Twitch.

A new Bloomberg report citing people familiar with Twitch’s pay planning claims the company wants to incentivize streamers to run more ads in addition to considering reducing the portion of subscription fees allocated to performers. More specifically, the site’s top streamers would reportedly see their share of subscriptions dip down from 70% to 50%, according to Bloomberg. The company is also considering introducing multiple pay tiers with different criteria required to qualify for each. All told, these changes are intended to boost Twitch’s profitability, though it could come at the expense of their community’s most active users.

Twitch did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.

On the flip side, the sources speaking with Bloomberg said the company may consider easing up on its exclusivity restrictions which would let creators stream on other platforms and potentially raking in some additional income there as well.

The tentative monetization considerations come amid a time of flux at Twitch. On one hand, the company’s riding high on a pandemic induced viewership surge. Some 24% of U.S. internet users between the ages of 16 to 64 said they began watching more live streams during the pandemic, according to GlobalWebIndex data viewed by Insider Intelligence. On the other hand though, even with that uptick in eyeballs, Twitch is simultaneously reeling from what Bloomberg calls a mass “exodus” of employees disappointed in the company’s direction. Some 300 employees reportedly left Twitch last year, with another 60 leaving in the first three months of 2022. Some top creators have left too. In the past year both DrLupo and TimTheTatman, two prominent streamers, left the site for rival YouTube.

Twitch streamers aren’t the only ones bracing for a financial squeeze from their Big Tech bosses.

Earlier this year, Amazon announced it would add a 5% “fuel and inflation surcharge” to third party sellers who use the company’s fulfillment centers as a way to offset increased costs. In a notice to sellers viewed by the Associated Press, Amazon said increased hourly wages, construction costs, and new hires during the pandemic were all to blame for the increased price hikes. Still, Amazon wasn’t exactly struggling as a company during the pandemic, though. In the first quarter of 2021, the company posted a record $108.5 billion in revenue which comes out to nearly triple its revenue from the same time the previous year.

Over at Etsy sellers went on strike and issued a digital boycott over what they viewed as exorbitant increases to seller fees. Etsy recently tried to increase seller transaction fees by 30% which would in effect raise the seller fee from 5% to 6.5%

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12 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do on YouTube

There are more stats available, if you want them.
Screenshot: YouTube

If you’re really into video encoding and streaming, then YouTube can give you much more technical information about clips when you’re watching them in the mobile apps. Tap your profile picture on the Home tab (top right), then choose Settings and General and turn on the Enable stats for nerds (Android) or Stats for nerds (iOS) toggle switch.

To see said stats for nerds, tap on a video, tap the three dots in the corner, and then choose Stats for nerds to bring up the overlay while the clip plays underneath. The information displayed on screen in real time includes the resolution of the clip, the audio and video codecs used, and the amount of bandwidth you’re using up by streaming it.

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9 of Our Favorite Apps of 2021

Screenshot: Letterboxd

For more than a decade, I’ve been tracking every book I read on Goodreads, and I have no idea why it took me so long to start doing the same for movies. Maybe I just needed an app that’s as streamlined, fun to use, and feature-packed as Letterboxd. Available on the web or iOS/Android, it allows you to log, rate, and review every movie you watch, figure out where something is streaming, keep a watchlist, and more. Plus, you can follow other reviewers and get updates when they watch or review something new, which is a great way to discover new stuff (an increasingly pressing concern two years into a pandemic that’s still keeping me mostly at home). It’s free to use, but I’m thinking of upgrading to a Pro account ($19/year), which will remove ads and give me access to a few more features—and make me feel good for supporting an app I love.—Joel Cunningham, deputy editor

iOS | Android 

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Amazon-Owned Twitch Suspends An Amazon Prime Video Channel

Screenshot: Esto Es Un Late

Earlier today, Twitch suspended the channel belonging to Prime Video España. That’s an official Amazon Prime Video channel. Twitch is owned by Amazon.

You can see it right here, with the suspension being instituted five hours ago (at time of posting). This is the first time that any Amazon channel has had to be suspended from the Amazon-owned streaming platform, and what makes it really interesting is that it doesn’t look like it was a technical hiccup or an administrative error: it appears the punishment is because the channel really did break the rules.

As Dexerto reports, while streaming the last episode for 2021 of the panel show Esto Es Un Late, things got a little out of hand. Hours into the broadcast—which featured several prominent streamers—host and comedian Henar Álvarez said “We’re going for the ban…Let’s go, they’ll ban us” while lifting up her shirt (pictured above). She was joined by one of the other panellists, who lifted her own shirt down, briefly exposing a nipple.

At first the camera merely cut away, but when the stream returned and Álvarez did it again the broadcast abruptly ended and was replaced by a title card. While we don’t know if that’s why the suspension was handed out, it certainly seems likely, as both Álvarez and the panellist’s actions were in violation of Twitch’s community guidelines on Nudity, Pornography, and Other Sexual Content. Here’s what those guidelines have to say about what was shown in the stream:

For those who present as women, we ask that you cover your nipples. We do not permit exposed underbust. Cleavage is unrestricted as long as these coverage requirements are met.

Because this is the channel’s first ever suspension, it should be back online within the month:

Temporary suspensions range from one to 30 days. After the suspension is complete, you will be able to use our services once again. We keep a record of past violations, and multiple suspensions over time can lead to an indefinite suspension.

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Popular Streamer Ludwig Ahgren leaves Twitch For YouTube Gaming

Screenshot: Twitch

Twitch streamer Ludwig Ahgren, who in April set a world record for the highest number of subscribers—at over 270,000—has left the platform and will now be streaming exclusively at YouTube Gaming.

Ludwig achieved the feat at the conclusion of a marathon 31-day streaming event, which began on March 14 and ran for too damn long. In the process, he beat the previous record, held by Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.

The move was announced earlier today by Ryan Wyatt, head of YouTube Gaming, who wrote:

I’m excited to announce @LudwigAhgren will now be streaming exclusively on @YouTubeGaming.

Our focus is building a world class VOD, short form, and live platform.

And I have to reiterate; we still aren’t done yet! Welcome to the family, Ludwig!

Ludwigs own announcement was a little less diplomatic, posting a video where the purple car (Twitch) he’s driving explodes, and he jumps in a red car (YouTube) to get home again, talking some shit about music streaming rights as the clip draws to a close.

Harsh, perhaps, given he built his entire thing on Twitch, but given the platform’s recent woes—especially when it comes to copyright—also understandable.

He probably wouldn’t make the jump out of charity; YouTube has long thrown serious money at creators to sign them to exclusivity deals, hoping that by drawing big names they can chip away at Twitch’s dominance in the streaming space. Indeed it was only a few months ago that two other huge streaming stars, DrLupo and TimTheTatman, made the same move:

Lupo told The Washington Post this week that, as a result of his deal with YouTube, he’s now “secure for life.” He also said the deal will give him more flexibility to spend time with his family. Betar, meanwhile, didn’t explicitly comment on specific financials, but noted in an interview with Insider that streaming on YouTube will allow him, like Lupo, to spend more time with family.

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Amouranth’s Twitch Stats Vs Other Women Streamers Are Shocking

When Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa isn’t getting banned from Twitch for things like wearing a horse mask and suggestively slurping a microphone, she’s pulling huge viewership numbers month after month. Not only was she Twitch’s leading female streamer for October, she accrued almost as many view hours as the next two biggest female streamers combined.

That’s according to the latest data from Twitch analytics firm StreamElements, via Rainmaker.gg, which shows Siragusa pulled in roughly 3.1 million hours watched last month, nearly double Imane “Pokimane” Anys’s estimated 1.7 million and SadDummy’s 1.5 million.

She’s done this in part by pioneering new forms of Twitch antics and trolling. Earlier this year, she became one of the faces of the Amazon-owned streaming platform’s burgeoning hot tub-meta. Later she moved onto Twitch’s ear-licking ASMR meta with a July subathon dedicated to the genre. Just last week, Siragusa shocked fans and internet passers-by alike when she claimed to have purchased a gas station to get out of millions in tax liability.

Read More: Amouranth Is Twitch’s Smartest Troll, But She’s On Thin Ice

While traditional Twitch streamers blow up thanks to the success of the games they play, like League of Legends, Fortnite, GTA V, Siragusa has transformed her online personality into a multi-million dollar brand predominantly by streaming ASMR stunts and Just Chatting convos with her audience.

Of course, her October numbers are still outside Twitch’s general top 10 which is completely male dominated. According to StreamElements, the last streamer on the list for October, Chikara ‘Shaka’ Kawakam, still brought in well over 5 million watched hours.

These discrepancies were born out in Twitch’s own data, which when it leaked last month due to hackers revealed that only three of the platform’s top 100 earners were women. Of course, most make nothing at all. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the median revenue for all Twitch streamers was $28, meaning half of them made even less.

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Instagram Might Add Moderators to Lives and Likes on Stories

Photo: Carl Court (Getty Images)

Instagram is purportedly looking to give creators a helping hand when they do live video broadcasts on the platform and also give them an extra boost by adding another way for users to engage with stories.

Leaker and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi reports that the app is working on letting its creators add moderators when they do live video. According to Paluzzi, creators will be able to choose one moderator from their list of “who’s watching” to help them manage comments, which can quickly turn into a never-ending stream of text that makes it impossible to respond to all viewers. (I say this as a sad viewer playing the smallest violin in the world who never gets their comments and questions answered, and I doubt this will change that).

In addition, 9to5Mac notes that the chosen moderator will be able to turn off comments, requests to go live, and questions from viewers, among other options. Currently, only the user hosting the live stream can moderate it.

Besides tinkering with lives, the company has also been knee-deep in its work on stories. Paluzzi stated in August that the platform was working on letting users “like” stories, which at the moment can only receive reactions through direct messages. So far, Paluzzi has found that Instagram is working on letting users “like” a story multiple times (which is really weird as far as metrics go), with likes appearing in the same place as story viewers.

Gizmodo reached out to Instagram for comment on the report about new features purportedly in the works but did not receive a response by the time of publication. We’ll make sure to update this blog if we hear back.

All in all, the rumored new features in the company’s oven seem to be another effort to keep creators happy so that they spend more time on Instagram (and less time on other platforms with live video feeds, like feared rival TikTok). Considering that the company is basically throwing money at creators to get them to please, please make reels, it makes sense.

What will this mean for the regular Instagram user who’s not a creator? Probably nothing. Maybe they’ll get a hello or something from their favorite influencer now that the latter has a moderator (although considering the number of comments on lives, that’s still really unlikely). Likes on stories don’t mean much either if you’re not getting paid for them.

However, I’m not against these features, which aren’t a done deal until they actually launch. I know a lot of creators work very hard on their content. If this helps make their lives easier (and I mean that in both senses of the word), it’s all good.



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Amouranth Banned From Twitch For Fifth Time, Reasons Unknown

Screenshot: Kotaku / Amouranth

Popular Twitch streamer Kaitlyn Siragusa, also known as “Amouranth,” was simultaneously banned from Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram on October 8th. The reasons are still unknown, but this marks the fifth time the infamous “hot tub” streamer has been banned from Twitch.

Twitch bans are usually accompanied by a specific clip that quickly illustrates why a streamer was banned, but it seems even Siragusa herself doesn’t know why she’s been banned from her longtime streaming platform. Her channel was demonetized following an earlier Twitch ban, but it appears that she is still considered a partner on the platform.

Kotaku reached out to Siragusa for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.

Read More: Amouranth Is Twitch’s Smartest Troll, But She’s On Thin Ice

Similarly, Amouranth has also been banned from Instagram and TikTok, and has not made public the reason why she’s been silenced on those platforms as well.

Nevertheless, Siragusa seems to be taking her banishment in stride. She’s taken to Twitter to mock her predicament of being “deplatformed,” and made a YouTube video poking fun at the coincidence of her being banned alongside the recent Twitch, Facebook, and Instagram hacks.

Read More: Only Three Percent Of Twitch’s Top-Earning Streamers Are Women, Apparently

Siragusa was ranked the number-one most-watched female Twitch streamer in Q3 of 2021 with 12.1 million views, according to Sideqik. Siragusa won’t be hurting financially despite the triple ban. Through her monetization on OnlyFans and Fansly, she claims to net $1.3 million a month.

Based on her reaction to the news on Twitter and YouTube, Siragusa seems undecided as to whether she plans on returning to Twitch. When she asked her followers what Twitch’s “new meta” should be, she said would take their suggestions “into consideration” if she ever returns to the platform. On both her Twitter and YouTube channel, she said she would be focusing on content creation on her other platforms. Siragusa also expressed interest in creating a venture capital “thot tank” for other creators like herself who make NSFW content that isn’t “super brand friendly.”

In short, Twitch’s most successful female streamer doesn’t seem too worried about her latest bans, though she might need some help coming up with a better name for that venture capital thing, should she decide to pursue it.



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