Key Takeaways
- Twitch has reportedly lost advertisers due to accusations of antisemitism, resulting from blocking sign-ups from Israel and Palestine.
- Twitch confirmed temporarily disabling email verification from these regions after attacks in October 2023.
- Chevron is possibly among the companies that have paused advertising on Twitch.
Twitch is reportedly losing a number of advertisers after the platform was recently accused of antisemitism. In October 2024, it came to light that people attempting to create a Twitch account from Israel or Palestine were being blocked. In a Twitter post, the company confirmed that, following the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, it had temporarily disabled new account email verifications from these locations. The goal was to prevent potentially graphic material from being shared. However, Twitch clarified that people could still verify sign-ups using a phone number from Israel or Palestine, though anecdotal evidence seemed to contradict that claim.
The backlash has been strong, though Twitch asserts that blocking account sign-ups from these regions for over a year was not intentional. The company “inadvertently” did not re-enable email verifications, and the issue was quickly fixed. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy addressed the situation in a community post that stated: “There is no place on Twitch for racism, hatred, or harassment of any kind, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.” Likewise, Twitch also changed its policy on politically focused streams in November. A special label is now required when any content creator discusses “political and sensitive social issues” like civil rights, war, sexuality, and the recent US elections.
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Journalist Richard Lewis (via Dexerto) claims to have confirmation that “a number of significant companies” have at least temporarily stopped advertising on Twitch. This move comes in direct response to the allegations of antisemitism levied against the company as a result of its blocking email sign-ups from Israel and Palestine. According to Lewis’ sources, “eleven corporations and agencies that represent multiple companies,” including Chevron, have withdrawn their support. Many people feel that political streams and commentators have no place on Twitch, a platform that was started to focus mainly on video game live streaming, esports, music, and other creative content.
Twitch Is Being Accused of Antisemitism
Lewis states that Chevron in particular decided to pause its advertising initiatives on Twitch after footage surfaced of a Sabra Tier List panel held during Twitchcon 2024. The streamers involved, all of whom were later banned, rated other content creators on a scale from “Arab” to “Loves Sabra.” On the backdrop of the stage during this panel, the Chevron, Capcom, and Samsung logos were clearly visible. The multinational oil and gas company began operations in Israel in 2020 and has subsequently engaged in research and infrastructure projects there. According to Lewis, one Twitch employee pointed out that the circumstances “prompted some very awkward conversations.”
In addition to advertisers, the situation and others adjacent to it have garnered the attention of notable third parties. The Anti-Defamation League posted on Twitter that “Twitch must learn from this situation and improve how they address anti-Semitism and hate on the platform, which is an ongoing and significant challenge.” Democratic US representative Ritchie Torres has specifically called out Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, whom he called the “poster child for the post-October 7 outbreak of antisemitism in America.”