Summary
- Twitch Uploads and Highlights will soon be limited to 100 hours of storage.
- Users can download or export their affected content before the April 19 deadline.
- Clips and Past Broadcasts are unaffected by the storage limit.
On February 19, Twitch stated that Highlights and Uploads on the platform will be subject to a 100-hour storage limit that will go into effect on April 19. Twitch then clarified that Past Broadcasts and Clips will not be affected by the new 100-hour storage limit but encouraged content creators to download or export any past Highlights or Uploads before the April 19 deadline or risk losing them.
The change to Twitch’s video-on-demand (VOD) storage limits is not the only thing that the Amazon-owned service will revisit. Twitch also unveiled changes to how its ban system works to make bans both more transparent and more punishing towards repeat offenders. Additionally, some violations that can lead to lengthy bans will be forgiven and wiped from a user’s record if they do not commit similar or worse offenses during the probationary period. Minor violations can be forgiven after 90 days, and some more egregious behaviors can take up to two years to be wiped clean. Repeat offenders would face more severe punishments.
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While Twitch is known for hosting countless hours of live and on-demand content, the latter will soon be limited in specific ways. In a February 19 notice, Twitch stated that Highlights of past streams and Uploads will have a 100-hour cap that will go into effect on April 19. Twitch stated that storage space is expensive and that only 0.5% of all content creators on the platform are over the pending 100-hour limit. Twitch claimed that Highlights had not been effective in encouraging viewer discovery and that affected users would be directly notified.
Twitch Implementing 100-Hour Storage Limit on Highlights And Uploads
Twitch stressed that Clips made on the streaming platform, as well as VODs of Past Broadcasts, will not be affected. In the case of the latter, Past Broadcasts are automatically deleted after 60 days if the streamer is either a Twitch Partner or has an active Amazon Prime or Twitch Turbo subscription. Other creators are limited to seven days.
Twitch encourages its creators who have over 100 hours of Highlights and Uploads to download or export them before April 19 to avoid losing them forever. Twitch also stated that creators and their editors can export their highlights and VODs directly to YouTube by connecting their accounts, or via third-party tools that can do them in bulk. Highlights uploaded to YouTube can then be monetized accordingly.
While the Highlight storage change is disappointing to some users, that has not stopped Twitch from changing the way video games are consumed by fans. Only time will tell when Twitch will make more changes to the user experience.