1. Why Disclosure Matters
When creators are paid, gifted products, or given any material benefit in exchange for creating or promoting content, viewers have a right to know. ViTuber requires all sponsored content to be clearly disclosed in compliance with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Guidelines for Influencer Advertising (2021), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Endorsement Guides (US), and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) rules (UK).
2. What Requires Disclosure
You must disclose any of the following:
• Cash payments or commissions from a brand.
• Free products or services received from a brand (regardless of value).
• Discounts or promo codes provided by a brand in exchange for coverage.
• Travel, accommodation, or experiences paid for by a brand.
• Employment, affiliate relationships, or equity ownership in a brand being promoted.
• Any other material connection that might affect how viewers perceive the content.
3. How to Disclose Correctly
Video content: Include a spoken disclosure at the start of the video (not at the end) AND use ViTuber's built-in "Paid Partnership" label in your upload settings. Example: "This video is sponsored by [Brand]" or "I received this product for free from [Brand]".
Clips / short-form: On-screen text or spoken disclosure within the first 3 seconds.
Thumbnails: Add "#Ad" or "#Sponsored" if the thumbnail itself promotes a brand.
Language: Use clear terms like "Ad", "Sponsored", "Paid Partnership", or "Gifted". Vague terms like "collab" or "thank you to" are not sufficient.
Placement: Disclosures must be prominent — not buried in description text, not in small print, not at the end after viewers have already watched.
4. India — ASCI Guidelines
Under ASCI's Influencer Advertising Guidelines (effective June 2021), Indian influencers must:
• Use disclosure labels such as "#Ad", "#Sponsored", "#Collab", "#Partnership", "#Gifted", "#Free" as applicable.
• Place the disclosure at the beginning of the caption/description, not after a "read more" break.
• Not disguise advertising as editorial content.
Non-compliance can result in ASCI complaints filed against the influencer and/or the brand, reputational damage, and potential legal action.
5. Enforcement on ViTuber
ViTuber will review reported sponsored content for disclosure compliance. Violations will result in:
First violation: Notice to add proper disclosure label (24-hour cure period).
Second violation: Content removal and temporary demonetisation.
Third violation: Permanent demonetisation and possible account restriction.
6. ViTuber's Paid Partnership Tool
When uploading content with brand partnerships, enable the "Paid Partnership" toggle in Studio → Upload. This automatically adds a visible label to your video for viewers, satisfies platform disclosure requirements, and feeds into advertiser transparency reporting.
7. Questions
Questions about disclosure requirements: [email protected]
To report undisclosed advertising: [email protected]
Questions? Contact us at [email protected] or visit our Help Centre.