Across Twitch, it’s become increasingly popular for content creators to broadcast entire television series or movies on stream. While Master Chef has run the rounds of Twitch reactors with xQc, Hasan, and countless others broadcasting the Fox Network show, it seems like the trend isn’t dying. Richard Campbell truly pushed the limits when he recently broadcasted the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Fellow Twitch steamer Cohh Carnage questioned this current streaming meta, asking if these titles were public domain or “do larger companies just not care about folks restreaming their stuff?” The head of Twitch community productions, djWHEAT, was quick to chime in to provide his personal opinion.
The Twitch staffer clearly said the practice of re-streaming movies and shows is “absolutely not OK” and that this content is just as susceptible to DMCA bans as any other type of copyrighted content. DjWHEAT also said it’s “hard to say why streamers have not been targeted, but just like music, it’s probably just a matter of time.” He also clarified that “this is not an official Twitch take, just my own.”
Comparing this new trend to the music DMCA fiasco, djWHEAT referenced the massive waves of bans and DMCA claims that came when musicians and labels began to crack down on re-streamed music after years of seemingly free use. Countless hours of VODs and previously broadcasted content that featured copyrighted music were lost.
Though it seems Twitch streamers have free rein over streaming television and movies for now, it’s unlikely that this level of freedom will be maintained forever.
