Twitch Prime is a great way to earn a load of extra goodies if you consume a lot of content on the streamingservice. Since launch, the company has given out free monthly channel subscriptions, free games, and in-game loot as part of the program. But there's one perk that's about to get the ax: ad-free viewing.
In an update posted to its blog today, Twitch announced that it will cut ad-free viewing from its Twitch Prime benefits for new subscribers starting on September 14. The reason? A re-evaluation of existing benefits as the company "[continues] to add value to Twitch Prime." From the post:
Advertising is an important source of support for the creators who make Twitch possible. This change will strengthen and expand that advertising opportunity for creators so they can get more support from their viewers for doing what they love. We want Twitch to remain a place where anyone can enjoy one-of-a-kind interactive entertainment, and ads allow us to continue making Twitch the best place for creators to build communities around the things they love and make money doing it.
Crucially, if you're already a Twitch Prime member, you'll still get to take advantage of ad-free viewing through October 15. And if you bought an annual subscription, you'll continue to be able to watch without ads until your next renewal date.
Going forward, you'll still be able to watch without ads in one of two ways. You can use your free monthly channel subscription to strike ads for that particular channel. For a full ad-free experience, Twitch says you can buy a subscription to Twitch Turbo.
While it's a bit disappointing to see the perk taken away, Twitch seems to be using the freed up resources to focus on better freebies in the future. "We're just getting started, and the community can continue to expect more and better free games with Prime and in-game loot every month, monthly channel subscriptions, exclusive badges, along with new benefits and surprises," the company says.
