Live data from Hacker News

TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

github.com

11–20 of 118 posts

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#11

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

I think this is configurable on the streamer's end. I watch a lot of PirateSoftware and he's talked about how choosing to run ads at certain intervals vs running them before the stream starts affected his viewership levels. I don't immediately have a video of him saying that, but I imagine there's a YouTube short where he describes that.

All things considered though, I think you are right that the option that forces it at the beginning of the stream is obnoxious and affects the interest of those intending to stream. There's likely a better way (similar to your suggestion) that gets people involved in the stream first.

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#12
post #11

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

I think this is configurable on the streamer's end. I watch a lot of PirateSoftware and he's talked about how choosing to run ads at certain intervals vs running them before the stream starts affected his viewership levels. I don't immediately have a video of him saying that, but I imagine there's a YouTube short where he describes that. All things considered though, I think you are right that the option that forces…

[deleted]

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#13

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

I am not sure how people are not making the connection but this is directly tied to the economy and interest rates. Unprofitable platforms or barely profitable had relied on advertising before interest rates go up. Advertisers are increasing their costs and platforms can only insert more ads anywhere they can. Roku anyone?

The key point is platforms are fully aware of what they are doing and understand that this will drive users away but that is the point. If you can't fire enough people, sell enough ads or reduce enough product maintenance in your business then the next step is to fire your end users.

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#14
The annoyingness to relevance ratio of twitch ads might be the best of any video platform. I find about one in five interesting. By contrast, I can't recall a single time YouTube has shown me anything interesting, relevant, or useful (lucky if it's not a downright scam), despite probably having seen ~100x more ads on YouTube than on Twitch.

I also appreciate that Twitch still displays the stream while ads play.

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#15

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

This definitely kills the low-intent watcher. Twitch sends me daily emails to hop on and watch streamers that I follow. Every once in awhile, I'm not busy so I click the link, "Sure I'll watch that person write OCaml...". And 30 seconds in, I'm almost ALWAYS, "nah... I'm not into sitting here this long, I didn't even intend to be here". If they could let someone watch like 3 to 5 minutes, they could likely increase e…

You'd think or hope they'd be tracking, A/B testing to see how this goes - and I wonder if incentives are perfectly aligned between Twitch's profits-costs and of the streamers they have to share ad revenues with?

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#16

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

This is up to the streamer. Either ~3 minutes of ads per hour, or an up-front 30s of ads before you can view the stream. You would only see >1 minute of ads if they choose the first option and you hit the stream on the ad break. But I agree with you. I've bounced from many-a-stream due to up-front ads.

I exclusively check out new twitch channels upon getting recommendations or learning from the channel via something like YT, purely due to the ads.

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#17

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

The worst about preroll is they often fail and run 2-3 times in a row before registering you saw them. Can confirm I just stopped searching new streamers due to that. Even the one that aren't supposed to have preroll because they run ads still tend have some somehow, I guess twitch force them anyway or it's just bugged.

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#18
These solutions are not perfect and typically stop working after a certain time because they patch it/unintentionally break it.

The only reliable solution I found is to VPN to some non-western country where they typically don't have advertisers. Of course, this brings a load of other issues :`).

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#19

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

This gets doubly bad when I go to watch a streamer I haven't seen in a while, I start getting ads, then I have to log in. Put in my creds, get my phone, find the MFA app, find the Twitch in the list, see the code expires in a few seconds, wait while it flashes red at me, see the new code, enter the new code, get logged in - and the ad restarts since I'm logged in now and page refreshes.

Re: TwitchAdSolutions – Blocking Twitch Ads

#20

I hate how Twitch puts over a minute of pre-roll ads before you can start watching a stream. They should at least wait 60 seconds, I can't imagine how many people have chosen not to catch a new stream because they'd immediately have to sit through over a minute of ads before even getting to any content.

I am not sure how people are not making the connection but this is directly tied to the economy and interest rates. Unprofitable platforms or barely profitable had relied on advertising before interest rates go up. Advertisers are increasing their costs and platforms can only insert more ads anywhere they can. Roku anyone? The key point is platforms are fully aware of what they are doing and understand that this will…

"Doing this will drive away viewers, decreasing what we can charge for ads, so lets do it" is not something anyone in any board room of a company selling ads has ever said. "Firing your end users" has the tricky side effects of destroying your revenue.
Post reply on HN