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.

Two problems here;

The first, main issue I’ve been having is that very often, ads will break. The sound will cut out half way through the ad, and then at the end of the ad the player will just freeze and not load the stream. Sometimes it eventually resolves itself, sometimes I have to close and reload the stream (possibly giving another ad). I’m on iOS for info.

Second, not so much a bug per se, but my god can you please vary the ad campaigns so that it doesn’t play the same ad every stream load/ad break? I’m sick of seeing/hearing the same ad 20 times a day. It’s hitting a point where I’m just gonna close the app and do something else, so you’ve lost my viewership and ad revenue. Please fix this!

Dear Twitch,

I think I speak for most of the streaming community when I say we do NOT like your new mid-roll strategy. Ads are among the biggest annoyances on the site and the solution is not to give us more ads. Here are some ideas on making ads on Twitch better for both the creator and the viewer.

1. Give the creators an actual cut of the ad revenue
   Right now, this is absolutely peanuts when you compare it to other video content sites, it’s actually insane. This would make running ads also a bit more attractive for creators and viewers will know that these ads would actually support their favourite creators a lot more than now.

2. Make your ads shorter and skippable
   The ads that are currently running on Twitch are often way too long. Myself and other viewers have often skipped these ads by simply going to a different channel, that is not okay. That should not happen.

3. Consider adding closable lower third ads
   When you first launch a stream you can have a lower third ad hovering over the videoplayer. Be sure to make it so that viewers can click these away.

4. Let creators and viewers (individually) control mid-rolls
   I really like the fact that as a creator you can roll an ad, for instance, when you need to take a snack break or toilet break. What if we add a feature like that for every viewer. Let’s say you have a button somewhere next to the stream that viewers can opt for an ad to support their favourite creators, this way both the creator and the viewer has more control over when they want to see ads.

5. Bits for ads
   Why is this not a thing worldwide? This is such a nice concept and should be implemented all over the world because it gives the chance for viewers that can’t afford a sub or bits to give bits anyway by just saving them up by watching ads here and there. This can go hand in hand with the ad button for viewers.

6. A certain amount of paid subs (gift subs excluded) = Twitch Turbo
   Lastly, make it so that viewers that have a certain amount of paid subscriptions across multiple channels have Twitch Turbo perks. However, they could still opt to see ads to support a streamer with the button and still see mid-rolls from the streamer.

In summary, I think there is a lot to learn from other platforms in regards to ads on Twitch. These are just some loose ideas, I’m sure there are plenty of people that have better ideas than me or that can make these ideas even better. Thank you for reading and hopefully, maybe, something will be done with this.

Special shoutout to @HarrisHeller and @Jasper55RL (both on Twitter) for providing some of the points talked about in this post.

Hi,

I've been watching Twitch for over 10 years and I must say over the past few months I've considered moving away from the platform with the implementation of the new ads system.

Users are now forced to watch ads for several minutes every 15 minutes or so and missing out on live content that can't be watched over unless you want to miss out on the next few minutes of content by going back and reviewing the VOD. I truly think this is a poor system and needs to be reviewed.

Whenever this subject is brought up in a channel, all viewers and the creators always agree that there needs to be some changes made and soon or the platform might risk serious repercussions.

I know there's always the option of subscribing with Twitch Turbo but this is simply not the answer and most of the audience agree and again, I've heard several of the biggest streamers saying the same multiple times.

I truly enjoyed the thousands of hours I've spent watching some of my favorite creators over the years and I'm looking forward to the thousands more to come, please don't let this all go to waste.

Sincerely,

Eric

1. Pre-Rolls Need To End: A huge majority of people aren't sitting through an unskippable 3-5 min ad to see someone they've never watched before. As a creator I would much rather be required to run 1-2 ads within a stream at a chosen time, than these pre-rolls scaring off new people. At having to run one, I can do it in a natural pause of a game so nobody misses a major moment.

2. Mid-Rolls: If you insist on this awful feature we can't control, they should not take up the entire screen unless clicked on. Pop them in the corner and have them skipable after 5-15 seconds. Some ads are tediously long.

3. Fix the Ad Share: Right now the split between Twitch and Creator is terrible, hence why nobody wants to run them and you have an army of creators not wanting the interruptions. If creators were being paid more in-line with other platforms for them, the viewers aren't going to mind if we have control over when they appear.