Why Does Twitch Have So Many Ads? And How To Stop Them | Streamers Playbook (2024)

Dealing with ads is a burden for streamers and viewers alike. After all, inconsistent ad breaks can interrupt the streaming experience and decrease its quality. So, if that’s the case, why does Twitch have so many ads in the first place?

Why Does Twitch Have So Many Ads?

Twitch has so many ads because the revenue supports content-creators, extension developers, and the website itself. Without ad revenue, Twitch could not offer a free viewing experience to all of its users.

Trust, I know how annoying it is to get hit with a pre-roll ad pretty much every time I hope in a stream. It’s awful.

The good news is, there are ways for viewers and creators to limit their ad experience.

Read on to learn how ads work on Twitch, how to disable ads, why AdBlock doesn’t work, and what streamers earn from ad revenue.

Is There A Way To Get Rid Of Ads On Twitch?

There are two ways to get rid of ads on Twitch: first, viewers can subscribe to a channel to avoid ads on that specific channel or second, viewers can subscribe to Twitch Turbo for $8.99 a month for ad-free viewing across the platform.

Unfortunately Twitch recently removed the option for streamers to turn off ads on their streams; however, streamers can choose when these ads will be played.

Though Twitch cannot run without ad revenue, they understand that offering flexibility in its ad experience benefits everyone. Therefore, the company has options for viewers and streamers to eliminate ads.

Below I will go over some of the options for getting rid of ads as a viewer.

Channel Subscriptions

Base-level subscriptions often include access to subscriber-exclusive chat rooms, subscriber-only streams, a nifty sub badge, and fun custom emotes. What’s more, many base-level subscriptions give subs ad-free viewing for that channel.

If there‘s a channel you find yourself watching a lot, I recommend subscribing to show support. You’ll undoubtedly get your money’s worth and you won’t have to worry about ads.

However, if you’re looking for ad-free viewing on that channel, always check the subscription benefits first. While ad-free viewing for subscribers is virtually standard practice, it’s not required. For instance, some channels may not include this feature in their benefits package.

But in my experience, most if not all streamers do include the ad free viewing perk with a sub to their channel.

Amazon Prime Subs

If you have Amazon Prime, and you use Twitch, you are in luck because with Amazon Prime you get one free sub a month to a channel of your choice.

This is great because you don’t even have to purchase a sub if you are only interested in having ad free viewing for one channel.

Twitch Turbo

Now suppose you are not interested in one particular channel, but rather interested in Twitch as a whole, then you might want to consider getting Twitch Turbo.

Not only does Twitch Turbo come with ad free viewing, it also comes with a ton of other features to help enhance your experience on the platform such as:

• Ad-free Viewing: The most desirable feature is ad-free viewing across all of Twitch. Therefore, you will experience streams uninterrupted by pre-roll, midroll, display ads, or companion ads. However, there are exceptions, like promotions, embedded ads, and some simulcast content. Still, these instances are rare.
• Exclusive Chat Badge: The Turbo-exclusive chat badge adds some clout and panache to your username in chat.
• Emote Expansion Pack: Turbo users can choose one of two emote expansions: Glitch emotes or Monkey emotes. Even better, Turbo users can switch between these expansions at any time.
• Customizable Username Colors in Chat: Turbo users can change their username colors while in chat. This feature is great for adding your personal touch and standing out so your favorite streamers will notice your messages.
• Extended Broadcast Storage: This benefit is fantastic for content creators, allowing them to save broadcasts from the last 60 days rather than the previous 14 days.

Now as a way to circumvent Twitch ads, many have tried Ad Blockers. But does this even work?

Why Doesn’t AdBlock Work On Twitch?

AdBlock doesn’t work on Twitch because it often disrupts channel viewing. This issue happens because AdBlockers use third-party scripts to alter how a website functions. In turn, the video player suffers performance hits. Therefore, while Twitch doesn’t prohibit AdBlock, it’s best to disable it.

Twitch’s policy on AdBlock is pretty generous: the company doesn’t change the ad experience for viewers using AdBlock or disable viewing because of it. However, due to the script-altering process of AdBlock, your viewing experience might be negatively affected.

If you notice any of these problems when running AdBlock on Twitch:

• Reduced stream rate.
• Reduced resolution.
• Inoperable video player.
• Black screens during ad breaks.
• Ads or screens prompting you to log into twitch.tv or wishing to review your AdBlock extension.

Then I recommend disabling it to try and resolve the issue.

How Much Do Twitch Streamers Make From Ads?

Twitch streamers running three minutes of ads an hour with disabled pre-roll ads make $1-$2 per month per viewer. This estimate comes from Twitch Customer Support. However, ad revenue is subject to many variables.

You may know that larger companies earn money from their creators. This includes YouTube and Twitch, both of whom benefit from your viewing of a content creator. However, viewers and streamers alike will be happy to know that streamers receive a significant portion of their ad revenue.

Unfortunately, Twitch streamers sign agreements not to share their ad-based income with others. As a result, much of what I’m about to cover comes from general ad revenue information.

Twitch streamers make ad revenue based on CPM (Cost Per Mile), which is a value measured by various demographic categories. Therefore, not all ads pay the same.

Here are some factors that determine CPM:

• Concurrent viewers: How many viewers are watching an ad at the same time?
• Viewer geolocation: Where are your ad viewers located?
• Viewer age and gender: How old are your ad viewers, and how do they identify?
• Game streamed: What game are you streaming?
• Seasonality: What time of year are you streaming? For example, CPM usually rises during holiday seasons.

Based on this information, game design team Madskil estimates that Twitch ads pay about $2-$10 for every thousand ad views. Furthermore, according to Madskil, Twitch affiliates receive 50% of ad revenue.

However, as streamers graduate to partner status and broaden their audience, their share may increase to 70% or even 80%.

But again, it will vary from streamer to streamer and it is difficult to give a definitive answer as to how much streamers make from ad revenue.

While Twitch ads can feel cumbersome, they’re also vital to Twitch’s infrastructure. Without them, the website wouldn’t be able to provide content to viewers free of charge.

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