Expand Ad Scheduler settings to take into account more streaming styles and flexibility
The ad manager and 55% revenue split has been very beneficial for me personally, however I think it is only really helpful for a very small portion of streamers. My stream is compartmentalized so that I can fit my content into 1 hour periods (the max period allowed in the scheduler). The overwhelming majority of streamers playing games do not have this ability and in general from my experience most viewers would prefer extended ad breaks more infrequently during BRB periods while the streamer is not playing, than short ads interrupting content frequently.
I think that MANY more streamers could benefit from the AIP and Ad Manager with a few VERY REASONABLE changes.
1) Increase the maximum ad schedule period to 2 or more hours. This prevents streamers from running into situations where they are in the middle of a cutscene, a boss fight, important content etc. when the ad timer is about to go off.
2) Make the Snooze system more forgiving. Only allowing 3 snoozes and having them refresh VERY slow (essentially a max 15 minute delay) is EXTREMELY unforgiving for content creators. The snooze system adds an additional layer of stress for many streamers. Not only do they have to do their normal stream, but now they have to worry about an ad timer that is inflexible, and on top of that they have to think about and calculate whether or not they can Snooze enough times through a cutscene/boss fight/ important gameplay or content etc. Instead of having the snooze feature streamers should literally just be able to put in "Play the ads 25 minutes from now" and have it be dynamic so that it is not locked in.
Ultimately these changes can be made and still meet the ad density that Twitch wants, and I truly believe this will get many more streamers to use the new ad incentives.
Currently the system only works well for creators that don't care about viewers having their viewing experience interrupted constantly (which I'm sure there are plenty), or streamers that are able to compartmentalize their content into 1 hour blocks (this is VERY hard to do with normal video game streaming).
Hopefully this is considered because I think it would benefit both streamers and viewers a ton.
Thanks.
GreatSphynx
shared this idea
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PoisonFae
commented
This please!! I normally need to take a break every 2 hours anyway to use the restroom, etc. I thought I would be fine switching to every hour but it has become a lot more intrusive than I thought it would be. Most times I am just sitting there waiting for the 3 mins to end because I don't need to use the restroom but I don't like making people miss content if they can't sub. I would much rather play 6 mins of ads every 2 hours than 3 mins of ads every hour. Please keep disabled streamers in mind when coming up with these policies!
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BigGangis
commented
The current ad scheduling is far too restrictive. I've been intentionally avoiding activating the ad schedule, as it is currently presented, due to the impact it would have on the pacing and scheduling of my streams. If Twitch were to adopt the above suggestions, I would enable ad scheduling without hesitation.
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Steezles
commented
Great points and I completely agree with these grievances.
I think in the same vein, this issue also would alleviate the issue of when my stream goes down. When that happens my timer resets altogether. I can't just carry on where I left off. The worry goes back to the "pre-stream" conditions where I have to strategically schedule when I can start the meat of my content.
If only my stream ad timers would carry over in the event of a connection drop. The mental timing for the streamer and the audience around the ads could be anticipated versus a complete change of momentum.
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Babbott_Orion
commented
Too many times have I seen Ads ruin completely amazing moments. The System needs to change to benefit smaller streamers. Streamers need flexibility.
Make it 2 hours or more. 1 hour streams interrupted by an ad is unacceptable from a viewer and Creator standpoint."
Please take the feedback to heart and actually read and understand Twitch.
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Guardison
commented
While I may not stream on the platform I watch many streams throughout the day while I'm working. And a not-insignificant number of those streams have to take regular breaks because they can't fight off ads at decent times. It leads to moments like mentioned in the post here where the stream loses momentum at crucial or interesting moments.
Or, in other cases, streams where people will get 9-10 ads in a row at the worst possible moments because streamers don't take those breaks, and miss out on major segments of the stream because of the ad system. I understand ads are a big part of the ecosystem, but making them more manageable and flexible is beneficial to both streamer and viewer for the sake of entertainment and momentum.
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theLuigiguy
commented
These are some very common sense ideas that will enhance both the streamer and viewer experience. The better the ad experience, the more willing people will be to use the Twitch platform.
Please take a look and consider the bullet points.
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FilthySerf
commented
I agree. I mod for a streamer who takes breaks on a schedule and always streams for the same amount of time every stream, a solid 6 hours. Being able to schedule all the ad breaks for the entirety of the stream ahead of time would be lovely. Also being able to snooze more because sometimes you play something like Metal Gear Solid IV where half the game is a movie.
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CheesyDraws
commented
I upvoted, and I very much agree. Hope Twitch sees this and gives it some thought. I also agree with Desert as well.
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DesertP
commented
Upvoted. The current system is much too strict and needs to have way more options for different types of streams. I currently find the system heavily disruptive, and it often plays over my content I don't want people missing.
The sheer frequency of ads I fear is driving people away.
I have tried to compensate for this by taking actual BRB's while they play, because they are so frequent, but this also then devalues my subscribers who pay to not see ad breaks. I feel like the current ad system is at odds with how I stream fundamentally.