New Twitch Prime members will no longer enjoy the benefit of advertisement-free streaming starting next month, which was a perk that was introduced to Amazon Prime subscribers in 2016.
The reason for the change is very clear and is something that will help Twitch stay afloat in the suddenly crowded streaming platform industry.
Twitch Prime Members Will Start Seeing Ads
Twitch Prime was launched in 2016, two years after Amazon acquired Twitch. The program allowed Amazon Prime subscribers to watch stream content on Twitch without having to see advertisements, among other benefits, as long as their Amazon accounts were linked to their Twitch accounts.
However, two years after, Twitch announced that the Twitch Prime perk of seeing no advertisements on the platform is coming to an end.
"As we have continued to add value to Twitch Prime, we have also re-evaluated some of the existing Twitch Prime benefits. As a result, universal ad-free viewing will no longer be part of Twitch Prime for new members, starting on September 14," Twitch said in an official blog post.
Twitch Prime members on monthly subscriptions will be able to enjoy advertisement-free streams until Oct. 15. Meanwhile, for Twitch Prime members on annual subscriptions or for those who will upgrade to annual subscriptions before Sept. 14, advertisement-free content will continue until their next renewal date.
The Reason For Pushing Ads To Twitch Viewers
The decision to remove the benefit of advertisement-free streaming for Twitch Prime members was about money. According to the blog post, advertising is an important source of revenue for Twitch streamers, and opening up Twitch Prime subscribers to advertisements will increase their income.
The arrival of advertisements to Twitch Prime, however, does not eliminate all possible options for advertisement-free Twitch viewing. Viewers will be able to again remove all advertisements by signing up for Twitch Turbo, a premium membership for Twitch that costs $8.99 per month.
Twitch Prime members, meanwhile, will still be able to receive independent games and access special emotes. Twitch Prime, however, is still not offered as a standalone service, and remains as a benefit for Amazon Prime subscribers.
The attempt to support Twitch streamers and push viewers to sign up for Twitch Turbo comes amid increasing competition among streaming platforms. In June, Google expanded the presence of YouTube Music, an Apple Music and Spotify alternative, and YouTube Premium, the successor to YouTube Red, to more countries. Valve, meanwhile, recently unveiled Steam TV by accident, with the platform setting its sights on becoming a Twitch rival.
