Twitch automatically blocks gambling content for logged-out users
Streaming giant to also allow users to stop topic from appearing in feeds but concedes measure relies on creators correctly labelling content
Twitch has further clamped down on gambling streaming after moving to automatically block associated content for logged-out viewers.
In a new rollout aimed at giving users further customisation over their Twitch experience, the streaming giant has bolstered its in-house content classification labels (CCLs).
Users can now block content that comes under a host of categories, including gambling, sexual themes, drugs, violence, profanity and mature-rated games.
Once a user has toggled to block one of the categories, any streams that have been tagged with the topic will not show up when individuals browse or search Twitch.
However, if a user already follows a streamer with such tagged content, that content will be exempt from the block.
In addition, content tagged as gambling or sexual themes will be filtered out by default for logged out viewers or those without a Twitch account.
Users under the age of 18 will also have gambling, sexual themes, drugs and violence-tagged content blocked by default.
Despite Twitch’s efforts to give users more control over what they can access, the streaming giant has conceded the new filtering system is reliant on creators correctly tagging their content.
Twitch said: “Content that meets our criteria for content classification labels should be labelled appropriately.
“Labelling content correctly is important, as it allows viewers to make informed decisions about what to watch and also helps advertisers better target the content their ads appear alongside.”
The firm said that repeated failure from creators to correctly tag streams would lead to the platform applying the correct labels to a channel that would be unremovable for a period of time or indefinitely.
“Advertisers choose where they’d like their ads to appear, and streamers that stream content labelled with CCLs may see less advertising revenue on their channel because of the selections made by advertisers,” Twitch continued.
Twitch began hitting out at unlicensed operators in Q4 2022 with a series of bans ahead of fellow streaming platform Kick launching shortly after.
Kick, which is owned by Stake parent company Easygo, has taken a more lax approach to gambling streaming and made headlines by bringing star Twitch talent onto its site via lucrative deals.