South Korean Twitch streamers protest last day on platform with influx of adult content

South Korean Twitch streamers are going out with a bang on the platform’s last day in the country, broadcasting an influx of adult content to protest the shutdown.

In December 2023, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy announced the streaming site’s sudden decision to halt operations in South Korea due to “prohibitively expensive” operating costs.

“Twitch has been operating in Korea at a significant loss, and unfortunately, there is no pathway forward for our business to run more sustainably in that country,” Clancy said in a blog post.

Streamers who’d built their careers on the platform were left devastated by the news. With only two months to find a solution, broadcasters were forced to either switch websites or change careers, as Twitch claimed it would cease business in South Korea on February 27, 2024.

Twitch

Now, that date has finally come — and South Korean streamers are going out with a bang.

South Korean Twitch streamers hit back at site shutdown with adult content

Over the past 24 hours, South Korean Twitch streamers have been protesting the site’s shutdown in a unique way by broadcasting adult content like sexualized games and wearing revealing outfits.

For example, Twitch streamer  Daeyong 2 broadcasted an adult game to the tune of thousands of viewers — clips of which are still available to view on his channel.

Similarly, streamer Irin-Chan went on camera wearing a risque outfit, leaving viewers shocked and somewhat amused at South Korean broadcasters’ apparent protests toward Twitch’s shutdown in their country.

Many netizens mused that this was a “perfect” way to speak out against Twitch’s decision to close its doors. “Why not? It’s not like Twitch banning them does anything,” one user argued on Reddit.

“If that’s the way to go out, alright. More power to them, all I say. What are they gonna do? Ban ’em?” another said.

With Twitch officially closing its doors in South Korea, the site is now facing financial punishments for its decision to back out due to costs. Just a few days ahead of its shutdown, Twitch was notably hit with a $300k fine for violating South Korea’s telecom law by removing VODs from its platform in the country, with more potential fines on the way.