We are launching a new ad program aimed at providing predictability for your ad revenue. How it works is that you stream for a specific number of hours — while running ads — in exchange for a flat payout. The goal is simple: help you earn a more predictable monthly income through ads, with no ceiling on earning potential. We want to help remove the guesswork of your monthly ad payout. We’ve built it on top of Ads Manager so it is easy to use. Just set your ad schedule and you are ready to go.

The Ads Incentive Program is available for select Creators in the Ads Manager section of your Creator Dashboard (as a note we are not currently accepting requests to join the program).

These offers are just the beginning for this program. You can find out more information here:
Twitch Blog: https://blog.twitch.tv/2022/02/22/reliable-ad-revenue-with-one-click-its-really-happening/
Help Article: https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/ads-incentive-program

We expect to improve this experience over time in order to make the lives of creators easier and we look forward to hearing your feedback.

I formulated the title drastically because it‘s a serious problem lately happening on Twitch and don’t see that getting addressed from them, at least not in the level as it should.

I said it several times on social media and i also say it here: Twitch is ruining their ads business, constantly and -seems like- willingly:
- The sheer amount of ads which you face as a viewer of the platform is simply ridiculous
- You‘ve guys taken the control of the ads out of the hands of the content creators
- You implement changes to the ad system without notifying anybody nor testing it out
- the Ads for bits function is not working

So, let me explain that points one by one:
— Amount of Ads —
If i enter a stream (the so called „pre-roll ads“) the player tells me:
- „Ad 1 of 2“, then ofc „Ad 2 of 2“ and then it starts over again, 8 times in a row.
- Which makes by
- - an average ad length of 10 seconds (lowest value in Twitch advantage and easier to calculate here),
- - 20 seconds per „block“
- - which makes it 160 Seconds or over 2,5 Minutes i watch ads.
I really have to ask you Twitch: Are you guys kidding us?

Not is that just annoying, which leads me (and many others i spoke with) to leave the site. Which means the tab will be closed. And your mid-roll ads have the same issue.

— No Control for Content Creators —
Yeah when we are at the mid-roll ads let‘s come to a good point. You guys implement the mid-roll ads without any control for the content creators.

Okay, the streamers can trigger ads to push the mid-rolls out, but that‘s not the control i‘m talking about. It‘s about the content won‘t be interrupted suddenly by an ads in the worse timing, well how could we prevent that? OH by giving the streamers the fully control about the ad placement for example.

You guys know that streamers suffer from your „fantastic test“ right? They loosing viewers which leave the channel because of the mid-roll ads, they try to come back but the ads keep playing and playing and they won‘t come back. Many Streamers i spoke with recommended their viewers to install adblockers to keep them in the channel! If that is not an indicator to you Twitch that something is completely wrong with your ads then i recommend to not be ad based anymore.

— Implementation Failures and Bugs —
We, as Twitch Viewers, are already used to bugs all over the place: Emotes and Badges don‘t load, Whisper Function does often not working.

But the implementation of the mid-roll ads, takes failure to a whole new level! Not that nobody was informed, not partnered streamers, affiliates, normal streamers or viewers. The mid-rolls have also been served to subscribers of channels which is a complete no-go. Obviously nobody tested that before implementing it into production or the test methods are not working at all.

— Ads for Bits Function —
Okay, let‘s leave that all to the side and imagine: We want to watch ads and get something for it, like bits. Welp that‘s also not working.

For months i can‘t use the „ads for bits“ function, at all. Strange when i see that you guys can serve the ads over 2 minutes, but if i want bits to watch ads there are suddenly no ads?!? Why don‘t you use the amazon ads here, why i don‘t see the other ads here? The only time a user would get a literal benefit from watch the ads you block the function? I have to repeat myself: Are you guys kidding me?

I wish Twitch would think more about the user and the content creators and simply not backstabbing on both of them by spamming the user with ads and barely severing and of the revenue to the streamer

With the testing of Stream Display Ads, many creators are excited to begin using them as an alternative to disruptive full video advertisements. However, because preroll ads are still displaying, the main problem being voiced in my community still isn't being addressed: the disruptive nature of preroll ads.

To quote my friend Kit, a fellow streamer:
"Those [preroll ads] are so frustrating, especially hopping into a stream from a raid. Missing all the hi's and thank you's and welcomes because I gotta see a 90sec ad about totino's"

Stream Display Ads are a great alternative to full video ads, but only when they CAN be used as an alternative. Please give us the option to fully utilize these instead of forcing disruptions to our content.

When a streamer runs a block of ads, we select the amount of time we want the ads to run for, and that can be anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. However when we do that, all the viewer sees is the number of ads left, not the total time left. Since ads vary in length, that doesn't actually tell them how long until they're over.

Speaking for myself, it's pretty much a daily occurance to have someone post a message like "8 ads??" in my chat. And sometimes that number can be in the double digits. If viewers were either instead or in addition shown the total time left, like we select as the streamer, I think it'd reduce the shock of how many ads are coming, which should make for a better viewer experience.

Also kind of a side point, but if ad inventory is a problem, you could just display "Up to x:xx of ads left." I don't think anyone is going to complain about the timer being cut short.

When the streamer manually starts an ad, then fine, let the ad run immediately (as the streamer is timing it with their content and are aware people can't hear)

But when it comes to auto ads...
Pop up in chat for viewers that you have an ad for viewing, and you have like 5 minutes to trigger it when it suits you, the viewer. For example letting the streamer finish their sentence or their round or race, then start the ad when it fits the viewing.

Full screen, muting the stream. But less obtrusive when the user can choose when it runs.

If the 5 minutes runs out without the user starting the ad, the ad runs.

Give us more autonomy in the Ads manager beyond the sliders. Right now in the ads manager we’re confined to sliders however I would love the ability to manually place ad blocks in the ad manger for more precise control on the timing of ads.

Example: I would love to run my ads automatically at the top of every hour on my stream so that I can schedule my breaks then and chat won’t miss out on any action while ads are running but the way the sliders are set up currently doesn’t make this possible. Having the ability to manually place the ad blocks in the ad manger could give us full control over how long ad breaks are and when they happen and make running ads a better less disruptive experience for streamers and chat! It would also be a bonus if we could control the different ad types that show up on stream.