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Twitch is testing mid-roll ads on creator broadcasts

Twitch is testing mid-roll ads on creator broadcasts

Streaming giant Twitch is planning to test mid-roll adverts on live broadcasts

From September, these ads will run for some viewers during a stream and will be triggered directly by Twitch rather than the streamers. These ads directly support the creator, and won't run too close to a previous ad break.

Viewers already receive one or two short ads when they click on a stream if they are not subscribed to a creator. Streamers can also trigger ad breaks themselves while warning their community beforehand. 

Twitch is just experimenting with this format and is seeking feedback from the community, but the platform has already faced a wave of backlash for the decision. 

Many streamers don't want to see ads automatically triggered during their content, as it'll impact the live viewing experience. With the existing ad format, creators can choose when to run their ad breaks so it doesn't feel intrusive to the viewer or cause them to miss anything.

Top Twitch streamer Asmongold responded in a tweet, saying "if you want to incentivize streamers to run ads, the worst way to do it is punishing their viewers by forcing ads during potentially awesome live moments on the stream".

Community feedback

Plenty of other Twitch streamers also shared their thoughts on the decision, with some comparing the move to YouTube's advertising. Others highlight that this choice will hurt smaller/mid-sized creators.


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Editor

Danielle Partis is editor of PocketGamer.biz and former editor of InfluencerUpdate.biz. She was named Journalist of the Year at the MCV Women in Games Awards 2019, as well as in the MCV 30 under 30 2020. Prior to Steel Media, she wrote about music and games at Team Rock.