Pokimane explains why she thinks Twitch ban for DMCA strikes is “totally fair”

Isaac McIntyre
Pokimane talks on Twitch stream.

Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys has come out in defense of her Twitch ban, explaining why it’s “totally fair” she was whacked with a site suspension for watching Avatar and other popular TV series in the last few days.

Twitch has been awash with one thing these past few days: the controversial “TV show” meta, where stars flick on long-running series for their entire streams.

Streamers have been watching everything from Gordon Ramsay’s cooking shows, to iconic anime franchises like Naruto, Food Wars ⁠— one choice Pokimane quickly realized was a mistake ⁠— and Hunter x Hunter, and cult show Avatar The Last Airbender, the last of which got Pokimane banned.

That shock January 8 ban set the fox among the chickens.

While many declared it “the end of Twitch,” banned star Pokimane has actually come out in support of her suspension, claiming it was the right thing to do.

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The Moroccan-Canadian streamer sided with Twitch over her own surprise suspension.

Anys, who was freed from her 48-hour suspension late on January 9, shocked many by supporting her ban soon after she was blocked from the streaming site.

In fact, she was firmly in Amazon’s camp for the whole affair.

The Twitch streamer said she “wasn’t surprised” by her suspension, and went on to admit she doesn’t think it is “unfair” either ⁠— it was actually something she was expecting to happen sooner rather than later.

“In my opinion,” the star wrote on Twitter on January 9, “it was inevitable publishers would take action, on me or someone else, during this Twitch react meta.”

Pokimane’s now-controversial January 8 stream, where she watched Avatar The Last Airbender for more than six hours in a row, was the first time the Twitch star had joined the TV meta in any major way.

She hit a 30.9k viewer highwater-mark and streamed in ‘Just Chatting.’ Ironically, her stream title was “We’re finally gonna do it… hopefully nothin crazy happens.”

The star’s 48-hour ban was due to several Avatar The Last Airbender DMCA claims.

Pokimane is expected to return to her regular Twitch streaming schedule on Monday, January 10, where she plans to address everything regarding the “TV meta,” her suspension, and future broadcast plans.

“I will chat more about this situation on Monday,” the Moroccan-Canadian star promised her worried fans. “[I can] further elaborate on the situation then.”

About The Author

Isaac was formerly the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. Isaac began his writing career as a sports journalist at Fairfax Media, before falling in love with all things esports and gaming. Since then he's covered Oceanic and global League of Legends for Upcomer, Hotspawn, and Snowball Esports.