The controversy surrounding so-called "hot tube streamers" erupted earlier this week when Twitch stopped advertising on the channel of one of the platform's most popular streamers, Caitlin "Amourance" Siragusa, without notice. The issue stemmed from Twitch deeming her stream "not advertiser friendly," even though it did not violate Twitch's content guidelines.

Today, Twitch addressed the controversy directly in a blog post, and also announced a new approach for users and advertisers to avoid (or accept) streams featuring hot tubs and swimsuits (and those that may be deemed overly suggestive).

Twitch first stated that no streamer deserves to be harassed because of their content or appearance, and that "it is not against our rules to be considered sexy by others.

It also acknowledges that its policies, such as its restriction of "overtly" sexually suggestive content, lack specificity and can sometimes be justifiably confusing. In addition, much of it is subjective.

"Sexually suggestive content and where to draw the line is a particularly complex area to evaluate. When we have taken enforcement action against such content, we have done so only when it is in clear violation of our guidelines."

Similarly, Twitch said the catch-all nature of "just chat" has also proven to be a challenge: viewers can mark a channel as "not interested." However, since many streamers are in and out of the "Just Chatting" category during a single stream, it is "not an effective way to remove content from certain subsets, such as creators streaming in a pool or hot tub." Therefore, a new category has been added specifically for streamers who stream in swimsuits, and while Twitch has stated that this is not a long-term solution, I really don't see why not, since it seems like a very practical approach, aside from the necessary tweaking and tuning.

"Creators may continue to stream content that falls into this category as long as it does not violate our guidelines," Twitch writes.

"Viewers can avoid being recommended content they don't want to see, and those who do want to see this content will have an easier time finding it. And brands can opt-in or opt-out of this category, just like any other category, based on whether it fits their target audience.

Detailed guidelines for "hot tubs, pools, and beaches" are available here, but the first rule is really all you need to know. You can stream the same content as any other category (chat, games, whatever) and switch to another category if the content changes. But if you want to stream in a swimsuit, this is the place to go.

Siragusa revealed on Twitter that he has been in contact with Twitch about the new categories, and apparently inquired about the possibility of bringing back the IRL (In Real Life) category, which was removed in 2018. That doesn't seem to be happening: "They seem to want to increase the granularity of the category," she said.

While the addition of new categories will not cut advertisers off from content on channels they deem inappropriate, it will at least provide a clear line of demarcation for streamers, and perhaps for Twitch, moderation of content will It will simplify it somewhat. Twitch admitted a mistake as to why it stopped advertising on Siragusa without notice: Twitch may remove ads from certain channels at the request of advertisers; Twitch may remove ads from certain channels at the request of advertisers; Twitch may remove ads from certain channels at the request of advertisers; Twitch may remove ads from certain channels at the request of advertisers; and Twitch may remove ads from certain channels at the request of advertisers.

The Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches category is currently open and already booming. We are also participating:

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