Twitch Cracks Downs On DMCA Rules
Some of the largest streamers on Twitch have been banned with DMCA strikes. Pokimane and DisguisedToast were both banned for watching TV shows live on stream. Pokimane was the first of the two to get a ban for watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, which only lasted 48 hours. DisguisedToast wasn’t let off so easy with a MONTH-long ban after watching the anime show Death Note. Many were questioning the discrepancy between his month-long ban, and her 48-hour ban. This wasn’t his first infraction, he’s been known to watch different shows while on stream, so his repeated actions led to such a large ban.
This has been a massive problem lately as big streamers have been called out for watching TV live on stream. Audiences have been split, some enjoy watching shows alongside their favorite streamers, while others see it as lazy, and easy content the streamer doesn’t have to create.
The bans sparked debate in the creator community as to whether streamers should be allowed to do it in the first place. Legally, they don’t own the rights to the show, so obviously, no. It’s basically selling stolen goods for your own profit. However, I do believe this is a pivotal moment for traditional media and new media to finally connect.
The production companies and networks are always looking at ways to grow their audience and create a deeper connection with them. This is the perfect opportunity to make that move to help shows get to another level of viewership and fandom.
Copyright laws need to evolve with the evolution of media distribution. Make deals for creators to be allowed to stream the show with their audience, but have the network only takes a certain percentage. I don’t believe taking the entire amount is fair to the creator. The creator is the reason 40,000 people are tuning in and creating another level of fandom around the show. This is a partnership that needs to benefit both sides.
The problem right now is that Pokimane averages 15K-20K viewers on stream, after her ban it jumped to 27K. Besides a permanent ban, these are just slap on the wrist which will then bring more viewers once they come back. Pokimane and DisguisedToast need to look at this as long-term and an opportunity to evolve the state of media and streaming, not just more viewers.
KSI and Logan Paul Bypass Trilogy Fight To Launch Prime Hydration
KSI and Logan Paul juked out the internet the other day when they hyped up an upcoming Instagram live as the announcement of their trilogy boxing match. Except they did the complete opposite and came together to launch their own drink brand Prime. They have already presold 3 million units that will be in all major grocery retails in the coming months.
During the Instagram Live they had 500K+ watching. Within a couple of days of launch, they had already grown 560K followers on the brand account, which is half of Gatorade’s 1.2 million on Instagram.
Many believe this is a threat to legacy drink brands, I see it as the complete opposite. This is easily acquired by Coke or Pepsi in 12-18 months. It’s purely a “Get the Bag” play, nothing more. Use massive names and faces to grow a drink brand to a couple hundred million dollar valuation.
From the big drink brand side, it makes sense to let someone with a huge name and influence, build a brand that you can grab at a decent price without having to build it from the ground up yourself. In the process, you keep the influencer on board as the face, and now you’ve grabbed a larger piece of the market share.
This is going to be the running play over the next couple of years, large influencers are going to be launching their own brands in hopes of a big ass payday. I love it. Make your money baby.
The D’Amelios and Addison Rae, Land Top Spots In Highest-Paid TikTok Creators
TikTok Creators are making more money than ever. Forbes released a new report focused on the top earners on TikTok in 2021. “The highest-paid TikTok stars collectively earned $55.5 million in 2021, up 200% from last year.”
#1 Charli D’Amelio: $17.5M
#2 Dixie D’Amelia: $10M
#3 Addison Rae: $8.5M
#4 Bella Poarch: $5M
#4 Josh Richard: $5M
#5 Kris Collins: $4.75M
$5 Avani Gregg: $4.75M
The interesting part is that these creators have stirred away from being fully TikTok creators. They diversified themselves and used to platform to vault into other industries, Addison Rae signed a multi-film deal with Netflix, Bella Poarch has gained millions of downloads on her music, and Josh is now a businessman investing in startups.
TikTok seems to be secondary for these creators now, while it is still pulling them in 30%-50% of their earnings with sponsored content. This list also excluded big celebrity names like Will Smith and Jason DeRulo who had a celebrity status before joining.
I see TikTok as exactly that, a great springboard platform to move you to where you want to go, what it’s not is a great foundation. It doesn’t have the footing like Youtube. Will be an interesting space to watch to see how more large creators on TikTok use it to move into other industries.
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