Why is this even a thing?
Oh, Twitch, every time we turn our heads it seems that you’re making some sort of idiotic decision, with the latest being the decision to run mid-roll ads in the midst of a stream. That’s right, streamers will have no power as to how these ads operate and that’s maddening.
In a recent announcement from the streaming giant, Twitch has stated they’ll start running automated mid-roll ads for some streamers. Which streamers or percentage has been mentioned. All of which would benefit the creator and won’t run if the viewer has an ad break recently. I understand the gesture, but I don’t feel that it is warranted. Mainly because it feels forced, without any interaction on the behalf of the streamers.
And it’s this decision that I feel is going to rub the thousands of streamers on the platform the wrong way. If it hasn’t already. It just feels like a money grab, coming from one of the largest corporations in the world – Amazon. Sure, a business is a business and the goal is to always make money, but not like this. There are so many other ways to do this.
A great example of this could be as simple as making the ads skippable, picture-in-picture ads, or even make them lower third ads. Why the need for a mid-roll ad is beyond me. Can you imagine that ad being displayed during a heated moment in a match, or during an IRL stream where the stream is dropping some real conversation? Or better yet, leave the decision to the streamers.
To give you an idea of how these ads would work, the internet has already created several mock-up ads and they’re scary if this is how Twitch plans on introducing these ads.
Welcome to the future of esports. pic.twitter.com/J3wNQQM3E5
— Esteban Martinez (@TheBesteban) September 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/TwitchAdSim/status/1305973009816129538
This one is my favorite so far. I still can’t believe that something like this can happen.
Platform controlled mid roll ads on live streams are G A R B A G E pic.twitter.com/KTtLbNHVEs
— GottaBeHenry🇪🇺 (@GottaBeHenry) September 15, 2020
The stream is pushed to the corner and the audio is overtaken completely. This is maddening and if you’re wondering how close to the real thing these mock-ups are, they’re spot on, as Twitch had already confirmed this is exactly what will happen.
Totally understandable concern – the stream will be muted, but will continue to play in a smaller window on the page.
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) September 14, 2020
Yikes…….
This can easily ruin just about anyone’s stream, larger and small, while potentially damaging smaller streamers. Who already have a hard enough time getting discovered on Twitch in the first place. Here’s to hoping they revert this idea, as it’s a terrible one. There are better ways to generate ad revenue instead of implementing what Twitch has suggested.
Wow, this is beyond a terrible idea.
