Yes, you can lose your Twitch Affiliate! Imagine the feeling: you’ve worked hard, grinding hours of gameplay to meet the Affiliate requirements. Then, your monetization is gone. But How? Abusing other members of the Twitch community, playing banned games, and multi-streaming are some of the most common ways to get banned.
Signing up for the program requires you to agree to all the rules, so you need to be careful. Nevertheless, Twitch is unlikely to keep you out of it unless you really cross the line. Consider how much time and effort it took to qualify your channel, sign up, and get accepted as a Twitch affiliate.
Maybe you decide to take a break from streaming, or perhaps your audience shrinks for a while. This article will explore all the reasons Twitch might remove your Affiliate status and how you can get it back. Spoiler Alert: the better you know the Affiliate Agreement, the less likely you will have any trouble.
Reasons to Lose Twitch Affiliate Status
The Twitch Affiliate Program is intended to support creators who broadcast games regularly with valuable features. In addition, it’s a way for Twitch to cultivate its most talented streamers into big moneymakers. However, like other platforms, Twitch has rules for the program. Here are the reasons you could lose an Affiliate on Twitch.
Unable to Fulfill the Twitch Requirements
One of the most common ways to lose your affiliate status is to fall below the metrics that you needed to get an Affiliate in the first place. You had to meet the following four requirements over a 30-day period to qualify for the Twitch Affiliate program.
- Stream for 8 hours cumulatively.
- Stream on 7 different days.
- Have 50 or more followers.
- Average 3 viewers on your stream.
If your channel falls below these performance metrics, you will lose Affiliates. So, the fastest and Good option is to buy Twitch viewers and followers to ensure you stay above the 50 follower / 3 viewer minimum. Moreover, purchasing high-quality Twitch views and followers is great for getting the platform to promote your stream!
Due to Substantial Inactivity
Twitch has high expectations for its affiliate partners and wants them to participate actively in the community. They don’t want streamers who are not engaged to take part in the Affiliate program. However, they understand that unforeseen circumstances may prevent creators from streaming.
Therefore, not streaming frequently for short periods of time is allowed. However, if you stay inactive for 12 consecutive months and don’t reach the $100 payment threshold, you can kiss Affiliate goodbye.
Your best bet to prevent Twitch from suspending your Affiliate status is to ensure your stream regularly. Of course, the more you stream, the more engaged, supportive, and dedicated your viewers will be, so try to look at the Affiliate program requirements as the bare minimum.
Breaking Twitch’s Rules & Terms of Services
Twitch has rules for the community’s safety, like every social media platform, and violating them is a big deal. Breaking the terms of service will cause Twitch to remove your affiliate status immediately. However, that might be just the beginning of your problems.
Twitch reserves the right to terminate the account of anyone who breaks their rules, meaning you will no longer be able to use Twitch at all! The best way to avoid losing your account is to understand Twitch’s terms of service, so read them thoroughly if you plan to make Twitch a serious source of income.
Common violations of the rules include harassing users, uploading forbidden content, and streaming banned games. However, some of the terms are more complicated, and you should take the time to ensure you know them inside and out.
Breaking Your Twitch Affiliate Agreement
The Twitch Affiliate Agreement is a document that enumerates every aspect of the Affiliate program, from the application process and requirements to the terms of payment and violations. Essentially, it outlines your and Twitch’s responsibilities.
According to the text, if you break Twitch’s terms of service (for which you could also have your Twitch account banned) or the terms of the Agreement itself, it becomes null and void.
Furthermore, both you and Twitch have the right to terminate Affiliate status with or without cause, provided the other party is informed in writing. As with the terms of service, make sure you read and understand the Affiliate Agreement!
Streaming on Other Platforms
Everyone wants to join the Affiliate program because it allows them to monetize their streams. But what does Twitch get out of it? Twitch retains the exclusive rights to your content for 24 hours after the initial broadcast ends.
This allows them to take full advantage of the increased viewership exclusivity brings to any special programs they devise in addition to regular streams. Essentially, exclusivity is a big moneymaker for Twitch.
As a result, multi-streaming is a big no-no, and it can get you kicked out of the affiliate program immediately. A large section in the Affiliate Agreement outlines the “exclusivity period” and how you stay in compliance.
Playing Banned Games
Any Twitch streamer who plays a banned game directly violates the Twitch terms of service. As such, they risk losing their Affiliate and even having their account banned. Twitch has forbidden games with an Adults-Only ESRB rating in addition to a list of others containing content that violates Twitch’s community guidelines.
Generally, this entails gratuitous sex or violence. In addition, Twitch takes a strong stance against content displaying racism, hate speech, or rape. The online community’s safety is Twitch’s primary concern when deciding what to censor. Therefore, if you want to continue streaming on Twitch, don’t introduce any inappropriate content to your audience.
Can You Rejoin For Twitch Affiliate Program?
Yes, you can rejoin the Twitch Affiliate program. It is basically the same process as your initial application, provided you left the program in good standing. To reapply, just navigate to Preferences in the Creator Dashboard and fill out your personal info. Then, electronically sign the Affiliate Agreement.
Finally, submit your tax and payment info on the Service Tax and Royalty questionnaires and the Tipalti form, respectively. Of course, if you lose your Twitch Affiliate because of a violation of the rules, you will probably need to illustrate to the platform’s customer service that you have addressed the issue. Once they have confirmed in writing that you may reapply, go for it!
Final Thoughts
Well, there it is. At the start, we asked, “Can you lose an Affiliate on Twitch?” Unfortunately, you can. And there are several reasons someone might lose their Affiliate status on Twitch. However, nearly every reason requires violating either the Twitch terms of service, Affiliate Agreement, or community guidelines.
Therefore, make sure to read and understand the rules while you put on an engaging and entertaining show for your audience. If you do, you’ll have nothing to worry about while you have fun playing games, hanging with friends, and making money!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to Check Your Affiliate Status on Twitch?
You may track your progress toward Affiliate by going to Analytics -> Achievements on your Creator Dashboard’s left menu. The Path to Affiliate Achievement will measure how far you’ve come. When your channel reaches all the requirements, you’ll be able to join! Just hit the button on the Path to Affiliate achievement to start the application.
2. If You Lose Twitch Affiliate, Do You Lose Your Twitch Account?
If Twitch removes you from the Affiliate Program, your Twitch account will continue to function, according to Twitch’s FAQ page. This presumes the removal was not due to a violation of Twitch’s terms of service. However, if you violated the Twitch Affiliate Agreement, you can continue to browse and stream.
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