The Sidemen Charity Match live stream, previously available on YouTube, was removed due to a copyright claim filed by the FA Premier League.
Earlier today, YouTube took down the video, displaying a message stating, “This video contains content from FA Premier League, who has blocked it on copyright grounds“. However, the exact reason behind this takedown was not disclosed by YouTube.
The Sidemen Charity Match livestream has been copyright striked… pic.twitter.com/1H8iX3PX48
— Sidemen Updates (@sidemenupdated) September 18, 2023
Speculation was made online, suggesting that the copyright claim may be connected to the match’s location at the London Stadium, home to West Ham United, a Premier League club.
Nonetheless, the prevailing opinion leans towards YouTube’s error in this matter, as all the content within the video is original and rightfully owned by Sidemen.
In addition, some reports have emphasized that The FA (Football Association) and the Premier League are distinct entities with separate avenues for claiming videos on YouTube.
Typically, the Premier League issues takedowns under its ‘Premier League Productions’ banner, while the FA utilizes its association name. The term ‘FA Premier League’ is not a valid entity in reality.
KSI reacts to the copyright claim on the Sidemen charity match
KSI, a prominent British YouTuber and member of Sidemen, responded to the news regarding a copyright strike. Expressing his amusement, KSI took to X, posting, “Lmao how is this even possible?!?”
This incident garnered attention not only from KSI but also from others who pointed out a glaring mistake in YouTube’s copyright claims. The official YouTube account on the social media platform X was actively engaging with the match and reacting like any other fan.
Lmao how is this even possible?!?! https://t.co/uIX3s4WuZA
— ksi (@KSI) September 18, 2023
While YouTube has faced criticism in the past for its copyright policies and implementations, in this instance, they swiftly addressed the issue due to the online response and the news going viral. Consequently, the video of the charity match was reinstated online, and the copyright claim was rescinded.
YouTube was doing all this just to take it down 💀 pic.twitter.com/hlXQSl7NRm
— Luxe ⟡ (@luxcurv) September 18, 2023
Speculation arises that this may have been an internal error on YouTube’s part, rectified after a manual review that resulted in the removal of the claim, allowing fans to once again enjoy the video. Remarkably, the video has accumulated more than 22 million views as of the time of reporting.
The Sidemen organized this charity soccer match as part of their annual tradition, featuring content creators from both the UK and the USA.
The event achieved resounding success, raising over $3 million in donations for the participating charities. Furthermore, the event’s livestream reached a peak of over 2.5 million views, solidifying its position as the most-watched YouTuber event of the year.
