Twitch has halted its automated midroll ads after a hugely negative response from viewers. The “experimental” ad experience was trialled to some viewers earlier this week, but people were worried they would miss key gameplay moments during the random breaks.
Creators also didn’t respond well to the idea, despite the fact that the automated ads could be overridden by manually playing an ad in downtime or between games. Twitch confirms that it has taken all feedback on board, that the experiment “has concluded” and that the automated ads “will not appear to viewers”.
The streaming service also assures viewers that it will take the user feedback into account before making any more changes to its advertising. Although, if Twitch’s community teams can turn any of the widespread derision, profanity, and general outrage across social media into constructive feedback, then they deserve a raise.
Twitch maintains that ads are vital to keeping the service free for viewers, but creators want more control over when their loyal viewers see ads, as well as increased transparency regarding the advertising systems.
Yes, this experiment has concluded and will not appear to viewers. We appreciate all the feedback we've received so far and will use it to improve ads on Twitch.
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) September 17, 2020
This is good news for creators and viewers alike, but many are already wary of what steps the streaming service will take to increase revenue in place of the automated ad system.
