Twitch establishes guidelines for broadcasters accepting money to promote games

Online video is the untamed frontier when it comes to the line between editorial and promotional content, but one of the industry leaders is laying down some new rules to help ensure audiences can trust that they know when a corporation has bought and paid for a livestream.

Twitch posted a blog today that introduces a set of guidelines for anyone of its broadcasters that decide to take part in promotional events. The company calls these “influencer campaigns”; this is when a publisher or brand can pay Twitch broadcasters to endorse or play a game in front of their audience. The company acknowledges that this can lead to trust issues, so the now Amazon-owned business wants to set down some rules. The Federal Trade Commission has oversight when it comes to commercial endorsements, and Amazon may want Twitch to fall in line with those guidelines to help keep the Feds out of its business.