Update #5 — Channel Page Beta
TL;DR: Starting on Thursday, March 28, we are entering the viewer “opt-out” phase of our channel page redesign beta. Why? Based on analytics, the new design outperforms the old design in every way. That’s good for viewers, which makes it good for broadcasters, which makes it good for all who love Twitch. Read on for more detail.
We are dedicated each and every day to making Twitch the best place to broadcast and view live video game content, and part of that is being open and transparent with everyone who uses Twitch — Partners, Broadcasters and Viewers. Thank you sincerely to all of you. You are the heart and soul of Twitch and we wouldn’t be here without you.
In the spirit of transparency, we want to give you a heads up that we are entering the “Opt-Out” phase of the Channel Page Redesign Beta.
For a quick history on how we got here, please review the following blog posts (in chronological order). We’ve done our best to keep you apprised of our plans, and we’ve listened to all of your feedback along the way.
New and Improved Channel Pages — Broadcaster Beta Update — Channel Page Beta Update #2 — Channel Page Beta Update #3 — Channel Page Beta Update #4 — Channel Page Beta
Many of the most highly-requested features that we were made aware of in the early stages of the beta have already been instituted. Namely, the addition of customizable backgrounds. We’ve also made improvements in the logic behind “Related Channels” in the left navigation, and included a native ChipIn widget in the broadcaster toolkit (*Note: ChipIn has since shuttered. We are in active talks with vendors and will have a replacement for you soon). We are continuing to listen to all of your feedback and will continue to iterate on the channel page design based on your feedback.
So, what does the “Opt-Out” phase mean for you? It means that starting Thursday, March 28, when a viewer comes to any Twitch channel, they will by default be shown the new channel page design. Viewers can still opt-out of the new design and be shown the old one if preferred. This gives the viewer control over the experience.
Now, we are fully aware how a change of this magnitude affects our loyal broadcasters, and we want to be sure you understand why we’re so excited about the new channel page design. Put plainly, what’s good for viewers, is good for broadcasters, is good for Twitch. When we started digging into the viewer engagement stats on the new channel pages vs. the old channel pages, we found that viewers on the new channel pages:
Watch 1.7x the amount of video per week
Follow the channel they are watching 2.0x as often
Are 2.3x more active in chat
Go fullscreen 0.5x as much of the time (meaning they are more engaged in the chat room and the broadcaster’s page info)
What these numbers mean is that the new channel page design increases viewer engagement by A LOT. The new channel page gives Twitch broadcasters the opportunity to grow their audience twice as fast, while giving viewers a more engaging and compelling channel-level experience.
We are very excited about the next phase of the channel page redesign and we hope you are too. As always, we’re listening. Please feel free to give us feedback in comments or at feedback@twitch.tv. Thank you so much!
Sincerely, The Twitch Team