Posts Tagged: streamers
Twitch streamers can soon block banned accounts from tuning in
Twitch announced this week that an upcoming change will allow streamers to block banned users from tuning into their streams. “You can choose to have your banned chatters no longer be able to watch the stream,” Senior Product Manager Trevor Fisher revealed on Twitch’s Patch Notes podcast (viaTechCrunch), stressing that the feature won’t be enabled by default. The new blocking feature will roll out in the next few weeks.
“The way that it will work is if you ban somebody and they’re currently watching, then the stream playback will be interrupted for them so that they immediately lose the ability to view the stream,” he explained. “And then if you go offline, you stream again, they won’t be able to watch your subsequent streams either until you choose to un-ban them.” He said it would have the same effect regardless of whether the streamer or a moderator bans someone: That person can’t watch your streams until they’re unblocked.
One significant limitation to the new feature is that it only applies to logged-in users: Anyone viewing a stream while logged out of their account can still watch it. Twitch isn’t blocking IP addresses (at least for now), which leaves room for the noteworthy exception.
Fisher stressed that this is an incremental change that only partially addresses some of the platform’s moderation problems, including multiple women accusing Twitch streamers of sexual abuse and misconduct. Other moves to address the issue have included adding a one-button anti-harassment tool, enhancing its reporting and appeals process, rewriting its community policies and taking a stronger stance against deepfakes. “We know that this is an area where people want us to do more, and it’s just been shipping off one part of the problem at a time,” Fisher said.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-streamers-can-soon-block-banned-accounts-from-tuning-in-195923803.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Twitch opens up ads program to more streamers and increases payout
More Twitch streamers will find invites to join the platform's Ads Incentive Program now that the company is opening up the opportunity to welcome "more… Partners than ever." In addition, Twitch will stop paying streamers in the program using a fixed CPM structure — instead, it will use a percentage-based revenue share model to increase ad payouts. When the streaming service launched the program in February, it promised creators a flat payout every month based on the hours they stream and the ads they serve per hour. A user who agrees to stream 40 hours per month, for instance, will earn $ 300 if they run 3 minutes of ads per hour.
The idea behind the flat payout is to eliminate the guesswork for creators who'd rather know how much they'll earn for the month. With this new model, though, creators will get 55 percent of the revenue from every ad that runs on their stream. Twitch says that represents a 50 to 150 percent increase in ad pay rate for the vast majority of creators on the platform.
While this rollout is meant to bring more Partners, who need to meet a pretty demanding set of requirements, into the fold, smaller streamers will also be able to benefit from the higher revenue structure soon. Starting in August, qualifying affiliates can also earn more money from the 55/45 split by agreeing to run 3 minutes of ads per hour and activating the setting in their Ads Manager. Further, an affiliate who opts in will be able to stream free of pre-roll ads, or those ads that play as soon as a stream begins for a user.
Twitch lets streamers require verification before viewers can chat
Twitch might have another way to deter "hate raids" and similar abuse: make it impractical to create a troll account. The livestreaming service has introduced an option that lets streamers and moderators require one-time phone or email verification for chatters. Broadcasters can either require it for everyone or set exemptions based on account age, follow duration or status. A streamer can require verification only for first-timers, for example, or waive the requirement for subscribers and VIPs.
The company will allow as many as five accounts to verify through one phone number for the sake of businesses. However, trolls can't rely on this to evade bans. Twitch will ban every account linked to a phone number if one of them faces a ban, whether it's one channel or across the entire service. You also can't use VOIP or landline numbers
Twitch said it would gauge the impact of verification after launch. It also teased plans for another tool to fight ban evasion in the "coming months."
This might not spook the most determined harassers. They may create new email addresses or borrow phone numbers. It might reduce the dependence on moderators to curb bad behavior, however, and could discourage 'casual' harassment from those who were previously unafraid to lose their accounts. Don't be surprised if you see fewer hit-and-run incidents the next time you're watching a stream.
Amazon is having a sale on all of its Fire TV streamers
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Facebook’s Level Up is available for game streamers in 21 countries
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Gamers and streamers – a winner is you!
It’s you who makes YouTube the most watched platform for gamers—far and away. Every month gamers watch more than 144 billion minutes of gaming videos and live streams on YouTube. To put it into perspective, that’s like watching Let’s Plays for more than 270,000 years straight 24 hours a day—or beating Final Fantasy VII 1,900,000 times a day!
Today’s updates to YouTube Gaming are the next step in our quest to create the best place for gamers to come together to watch gaming videos, build communities, and live stream. We’ve listened to your feedback since September and have been working on some of the most requested new features and improvements.
Mobile Capture: Empowering streams of every shape and size
Every day, games are played while waiting for the bus, riding the subway, or lounging on the couch—but what about live streaming your mobile gameplay? You heard it from us at the Tokyo Game Show and now it’s here to stay. You can now record and live stream mobile gameplay on-the-go directly from Android devices using Mobile Capture on YouTube Gaming. You don’t need any additional hardware or software—just tap Go Live (or your avatar on a phone) in the YouTube Gaming app, turn on your selfie cam and record your commentary with your phone’s microphone.
Sponsorships: Making it easy to back your favorite gamers
Support the live streams and videos you love with Fan Funding and Sponsorships, now in beta to a small group of creators. For a monthly payment, sponsors receive extra perks including a live chat badge chosen by the creator and access to exclusive chat sessions. We’ll continuously expand the list of beta channels, so keep your eyes peeled!
Other new and improved features
Here are some of the other requested changes we’ve made to date. Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming!
- More easily see when there are live streams for games in your collection
- Easier video bookmarking with Watch Later
- Improved performance and a redesigned watch page on gaming.youtube.com
- Better search navigation on iOS by remembering your previous searches
- Import existing subscriptions anytime from YouTube via Settings
Go live today with the newly updated YouTube Gaming app available on Google Play and the App Store, for U.S. and U.K.
Barbara Macdonald, Product Manager, recently live streamed “Bad Piggies.”