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The post says this rule doesn't apply to past broadcasts. Presumably that means the rule only applies to uploaded videos. Which I did not even realize was a fea

The post says this rule doesn't apply to past broadcasts. Presumably that means the rule only applies to uploaded videos. Which I did not even realize was a feature, and I've been an avid watcher and occasional broadcaster since the justin days. Edit: others have explained elsewhere VODs are auto deleted after 60 days, and then must be converted to highlights, which will be affected. I think anyone who relies on Twitch VODs as a viewer or producer is a glutton for punishment anyway. The viewing experience is dreadful if I remember correctly, enough so I just wait for a YouTube upload anyway. In my anecdotal experience, I have probably watched several thousands of hours of live content over the last decade-plus, and maybe a half dozen VODs.

noirbot 2y ago
Twitch VODs aren't really any worse than any other way to watch video? I'll regularly use them when I see some stream I'm interested in while I'm busy with something else, or if I jump into something halfway and want to go back and watch the beginning. What do you think is dreadful about it?
- Dylan16807 2y ago
  They inject a stupendous amount of ads compared to live content, otherwise they're fine. It's nice to see the chat. The place where twitch really lacks isn't on vods, it's the fact that the live player can't pause or rewind at all.
  - genewitch 2y ago
    yeah, and you can't ffwd live, either. I submitted a PR but it'll take a while for them to implement
    - Dylan16807 2y ago
      I'm so used to this being a legitimate problem that I didn't even realize you were joking when I first read this comment. So let me elaborate. I find myself needing to fast forward live quite often. Even without a pause button, Twitch can fall behind by several seconds or even a minute, especially when there are connection problems in the pipeline. While it does have some ability to run a couple percent fast to catch up, often that's not enough. I have some javascript I keep around to force twitch to run at 1.3x speed for a while, while on youtube it's an easy builtin toggle to run fast and eat through the buffer until there's no buffer left.
- kalleboo 2y ago
  I watch a lot of VODs since I'm in the wrong timezone for all the streamers I follow. To me the problems center mostly around their site and more so the mobile app seem to be designed to discourage watching VODs as much as possible, you really have to dig down to resume watching something you started watching yesterday.
  - Dylan16807 2y ago
    At least for me, right now, the home page of the app shows off a single stream it thinks I want to watch. If I click "following" it shows every online stream I follow, then VOD links for the last four VODs/streams I was watching but didn't finish, then every offline stream I follow in a very stupid order. So as far as that experience, resuming a VOD is pretty prominent in the app.
- jahsome 2y ago
  How to navigate to VODs for a channel is a complete mystery, especially on mobile. scrubbing through the video is far clunkier than it has any right to be in 2025. Ads are excessive.
pdimitar 2y ago
True, that's why I download VODs that are not gated behind subscription with yt-dlp. ...Those that are of interest anyway, which turned out to be less than 1% of what I thought. :D Twitch's player is indeed terrible and _loves_ to forget where you are. It's hard to believe this is still a problem in 2025...
philistine 2y ago
So Twitch is justifying the deletion of content that is very seldom watched ... because the user experience is terrible. This is a textbook management mistake.

noirbot 2y ago

Twitch VODs aren't really any worse than any other way to watch video? I'll regularly use them when I see some stream I'm interested in while I'm busy with something else, or if I jump into something halfway and want to go back and watch the beginning. What do you think is dreadful about it?

Dylan16807 2y ago
They inject a stupendous amount of ads compared to live content, otherwise they're fine. It's nice to see the chat. The place where twitch really lacks isn't on vods, it's the fact that the live player can't pause or rewind at all.
- genewitch 2y ago
  yeah, and you can't ffwd live, either. I submitted a PR but it'll take a while for them to implement
  - Dylan16807 2y ago
    I'm so used to this being a legitimate problem that I didn't even realize you were joking when I first read this comment. So let me elaborate. I find myself needing to fast forward live quite often. Even without a pause button, Twitch can fall behind by several seconds or even a minute, especially when there are connection problems in the pipeline. While it does have some ability to run a couple percent fast to catch up, often that's not enough. I have some javascript I keep around to force twitch to run at 1.3x speed for a while, while on youtube it's an easy builtin toggle to run fast and eat through the buffer until there's no buffer left.
kalleboo 2y ago
I watch a lot of VODs since I'm in the wrong timezone for all the streamers I follow. To me the problems center mostly around their site and more so the mobile app seem to be designed to discourage watching VODs as much as possible, you really have to dig down to resume watching something you started watching yesterday.
- Dylan16807 2y ago
  At least for me, right now, the home page of the app shows off a single stream it thinks I want to watch. If I click "following" it shows every online stream I follow, then VOD links for the last four VODs/streams I was watching but didn't finish, then every offline stream I follow in a very stupid order. So as far as that experience, resuming a VOD is pretty prominent in the app.
jahsome 2y ago
How to navigate to VODs for a channel is a complete mystery, especially on mobile. scrubbing through the video is far clunkier than it has any right to be in 2025. Ads are excessive.

pdimitar 2y ago

True, that's why I download VODs that are not gated behind subscription with yt-dlp. ...Those that are of interest anyway, which turned out to be less than 1% of what I thought. :D Twitch's player is indeed terrible and _loves_ to forget where you are. It's hard to believe this is still a problem in 2025...

philistine 2y ago

So Twitch is justifying the deletion of content that is very seldom watched ... because the user experience is terrible. This is a textbook management mistake.