Twitch is testing mid-roll ads, and here’s why you should care

• Picture-in-picture viewing for all channels is enabled to minimise viewer disruption as far as possible.

• Twitch and channel subscribers will be spared the inconvenience completely.

• The live gaming service is no stranger to mid-roll ads, but these have historically sat outside its direct control and been implemented by players themselves.

• Instead, Twitch sets out its own ground rules such as informing viewers in advance of when an advert is incoming to head off any potential irritation.

• At present, Twitch ad revenues are comparatively low, with affiliates earning a flat rate of $3.50 per 1,000 views.

Why should agencies and brands care?

• Twitch has exploded in popularity, with 3.8 million streamers broadcasting on the service in February alone.

• These streams drew an impressive 15 million daily viewers, with the number of monthly users pegged at 140 million.

• Lockdown has added further fuel to the fire, with a housebound public increasingly turning to online video and gaming to pass the time.

• Seeking to capitalise on this mounting presence, Amazon has already begun enabling brands to buy into this audience by offering Twitch inventory on its own advertising platform.