PewDiePie, Shroud, and Lirik VOD channels on Twitch were briefly banned from the platform amid a rule change on the site to fight against impersonation.
On October 3, 2024, three Twitch channels named after PewDiePie, Shroud, and Lirik were banned from the Amazon-owned platform.
All three of these channels were streaming VOD content and YouTube videos from their respective creators for fans to enjoy at the time, and it may have been what got them in trouble with the platform.
Both the Lirik and Shroud channels began streaming 24/7 during August and September 2024, and have amassed thousands of followers and hundreds of viewers in the process.
PewDiePie’s Twitch channel, however, has been around since March 2023 when he sold the rights to the account to CoPilotMedia. It’s since gained over a million followers, and has a loyal following of viewers each day.
Just under 15 minutes after the three channels were banned from Twitch, the Amazon-owned company reinstated them for fans to enjoy.
Twitch revealed an update to its Community Guidelines in early September that cracks down on unoriginal content and impersonation.
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While it’s unknown exactly what caused these suspensions, the new impersonation rules are likely why.
“Impersonation is a malicious practice that compromises trust in our service and can harm the target of impersonation,” it reads. “Content or activity meant to impersonate an individual or organization is prohibited, including impersonation of Twitch staff, celebrities, companies, or friends.”
Twitch uses the popular “waiting room” streams as an example of content that breaks this rule, as they’re often just unauthorized channels rebroadcasting content from their favorite streamer – which is what the PewDiePie, Shroud, and Lirik channels were doing.
“For example, you may not create a “waiting room” i.e. a stream with the title, tag, or description of being a “waiting room” for someone else’s stream or channel content that contains no reaction or original content created by the channel owner,” reads the Twitch Community Guidelines.
The Shroud and Lirik channels both state that it is a place for fans to “hang out,” but PewDiePie’s does not. This isn’t the first time the popular YouTuber’s channel has been banned, however.
Shortly after it rose from the ashes in March 2023, Twitch hit the channel with two mysterious bans in May and July, causing PewDiePie to address what was going on with the account.
