Twitch is one of the most popular streaming services worldwide, boasting over 9 million streamers and 140 million active monthly users who enjoy an impressive 71 million hours of content each day. What an incredible community!
Twitch is primarily recognized as a game streaming platform; however, viewers can explore a wide variety of topics, including cooking and politics.
There are also streamers that live stream YouTube videos on Twitch. So, can you watch YouTube videos on Twitch? You can. Viewers don’t get banned for watching YouTube videos on Twitch.
However, streamers have to stick to certain rules:
You can’t play the music you don’t have a license for. Play only copyright-free music to avoid DMCA strike or ban,
You can’t stream music videos, movie trailers, or movies that belong to studios, companies, etc.,
You can’t stream content created by somebody else. However, some YouTubers like this publicity so you could avoid getting banned.
Let’s explore Twitch’s rules and guidelines to understand what types of content you can and cannot watch on the platform.
Table of Contents
Can You Play YouTube Videos on Twitch?
Some see Twitch and YouTube as rivals, while others consider them platforms that can be used interchangeably to one’s advantage. The reality is that many Twitch creators are attempting to incorporate various types of YouTube content, including music videos, films, and original videos created by other YouTubers.
For this reason, regulations exist to prevent Twitch streamers from infringing on the rights of YouTube creators and any other individuals or companies conducting business on YouTube. It is advisable to adhere to these regulations during your streams if you wish to avoid having your account banned or permanently deleted.
Here are some do’s and don’ts for Twitch users regarding how to handle copyrighted and licensed material from various types of YouTube videos.
Music and Music Videos
First, it is important to note that the rules regarding copyrighted music licensing are quite straightforward, regardless of the source of the material in that instance.
You are not permitted to play any music for which you do not hold a license, as doing so risks receiving a DMCA strike and potentially facing a long-term ban from your channel.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re reviewing the music video or simply listening to it in the background while gaming or engaging in other activities during a live stream.
Twitch has an audio censoring system that will likely mute parts of your stream containing copyrighted music when detected in the archive. Repeated offenses can result in your channel being viewed negatively due to the use of copyrighted material.
The system is not without flaws in any setting, so even YouTube videos featuring ambient or in-game music can create issues for you and your channel.
The only music you can include in your Twitch stream is your own material, copyright-free music, songs from the Twitch library, and certain songs that are deemed public domain under the law.
While some streamers may manage to cheat in this regard, the award is hardly worth the risk if you want to safeguard your current, future, and past broadcasts.
Short Films and Feature-Length Movies
Similar to music videos in the past, the short films, full-length movies, and movie trailers available on YouTube are owned by their respective companies, studios, and so on.
While you are less likely to receive a DMCA takedown for music videos, it can still happen frequently if you do not have a license.
As before, the only two scenarios in which you can avoid issues are due to fair use and public domain, which refers to material that is freely available to everyone.
The former option will not be very beneficial, as you would need to prove the integrity of that claim only after receiving the ban or having your channel taken down.
The latter is a fair game; however, not many streamers would engage with anything other than current and trendy material.
The same applies to YouTube movie trailers, so the best approach is to explore every avenue among the options available to you and proceed with caution, especially if you are serious about making money on the Twitch platform.
Original YouTube Video Content
Here is where things become slightly more intriguing. Indeed, you would still be violating the rules by streaming YouTube clips without the prior consent of the rightful copyright owner, and there is no way to circumvent that fact.
The difference here is that some YouTubers often welcome the additional publicity and recognition they can gain, especially if you are not using their video to harshly criticize or mock the original content creator in an untasteful manner.
Twitch’s rules prohibit broadcasting YouTube videos created by others; however, if you navigate this carefully, it is unlikely that Twitch will remove your stream for copyright infringement.
You can collaborate with specific YouTubers to create a reaction video on your channel, in which case no special license is required.
Other Video Material
What are some other common types of video content that you can stream on Twitch? Is there a way to share it without violating copyright laws?
Netflix Films
Netflix is not exempt from copyright laws, as using a Twitch stream to distribute someone else’s content—be it a film, anime, or TV show—without the required license constitutes a violation.
Streaming this content could result in a DMCA strike, potentially leading to your channel being temporarily or permanently suspended.
There are rare exceptions to this rule. A prime example is when Netflix permitted the first episode of the hit show Arcane to be streamed freely, allowing Twitch streamers to share their reactions in real-time with their audiences.
War, Violence, and Political Debate
Twitch is not only a platform for gaming content; it is increasingly becoming a space where creators engage in everyday political debates with their followers in the chat, offering commentary on what they consider the most important topics.
Since this is essentially original content, you cannot be subject to copyright claims. However, discussing politics can be a slippery slope on a ban-happy platform like Twitch. Therefore, if you intend to create this type of content, you must exercise special caution regarding both the topics and the language used.
While Twitch permits the handling of guns for reviews or demonstrations, this permission comes with certain caveats. You cannot display these weapons in an aggressive, unsafe, or threatening manner, which is, of course, common sense in such situations.
Conclusion
So, can you watch YouTube videos on Twitch or not? While you can do many things, some may have serious consequences for your channel, or you could even face legal action for your actions.
The best approach is to educate yourself about copyright law, so you know which YouTube videos you can play during your live streams at any given moment.
Whenever possible, try to negotiate all the necessary licenses, and request permission from the creators if you intend to feature their YouTube recordings in your streams.
It is better to be safe than sorry, especially today with confusing rules and even more perplexing enforcement of those rules. Fair use is no longer something you can confidently depend on, so it’s wise to learn how to protect both the platform and yourself from unnecessary issues that may arise in your pursuit of additional views.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you allowed to watch Youtube on stream?
Technically, no. As established before, you can’t legally play Youtube clips to your viewers without permission from their rightful copyright owners. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eStreaming material that someone else has created may eventually land you a DMCA takedown, and that can seriously damage your channel in the long run. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eYou streaming Youtube clips to your viewers on Twitch can potentially be done to review, critic, educate, and such, all under the doctrine of fair use. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eThat still doesn’t mean that your streams are safe because that policy doesn’t always work as intended.
What is a Twitch watch party?
If you ever wondered if there is a way to stream copyrighted work on your channel, Twitch has offered the solution for that in the form of a u003ca href=u0022https://streammentor.com/twitch-watch-parties/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eTwitch watch partyu003c/au003e. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eThis feature allows for streamers to broadcast a film and anime or a tv show to their audience, providing up to 100 friends with an exciting experience of real-time commentary, making it seem like you’re all watching that together in the same room. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eThe only catch is that in these particular settings, the Twitch creators cannot run their ads, and both the creators and viewers who can join the party and enjoy that footage also has Prime Video or Amazon Prime subscription. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eYou can use this fantastic feature from your personal computer, as well as on Twitch apps on your Android or iOS devices.
What is a Fair Use?
Fair use is a policy that gives people permission for the unlicensed use of copyrighted work in specific circumstances. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eAn interesting idea, in theory, is that this doctrine does not allow you to copy the work of any creator and make a profit out of it without a necessary license. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eThis policy aims to protect the rights of streamers in specific settings like when providing criticism, parodying someone’s work, etc. What falls under this category has become quite vague in the past several years. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eTwitch made an example of some smaller content creators while some big streamers got away playing on the card of their massive popularity.
