Twitch finds way to make ads better while bypassing blockers

Few people want to watch ads, even on Twitch, but that’s not stopping the streaming site from trying to improve them.

Twitch today announced SureStream, which it says will optimize the delivery of video ads and ensure that viewers experience fewer freezes during them. The site has over 100 million viewers a month, and ads remain a key source of revenue for both Twitch and it streamers, who can make money from the commercials that play during their broadcasts.

SureStream will also bypass ad-blockers, software that some download to avoid advertisements. More than 198 million people are active adblock users around the world. This may cause frustration with some on Twitch, but more people watching ads means more revenue.

If you really don’t want to watch any ads while viewing Twitch, you can always subscribe to Twitch Prime.

“With SureStream, video advertising becomes a first-party product on Twitch that leverages the brand’s extensive expertise in the live video space,” Twitch noted in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “This means more ads are delivered directly from Twitch versus a third party ad network, which has been known to cause technical issues stemming from inserting videos from an external source. By hosting ads natively, Twitch has greater control over the types of advertisements delivered on the site and can ensure viewers see the highest quality version of the advertisement, better representing the brand’s message. These improvements also mean media buyers on Twitch can reach a wider audience, many of whom are difficult to reach otherwise.”