If you’ve ever desired to rewind a Twitch broadcast, that eagerly awaited feature is finally here. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has revealed that pause and rewind functionalities were incorporated into the service this week, with some noteworthy exclusions.
Clancy made the disclosure during a live stream (via The Verge), mentioning that it is currently restricted to Twitch Turbo subscribers or channels to which viewers are personally subscribed. Nevertheless, it’s not yet accessible on mobile devices.
“It’s a functionality I’ve been anticipating for us to release,” stated Clancy. “It keeps spectators engaged as they pause or rewind. The chat remains active, allowing you to feel the excitement and comprehend what’s occurring in the live stream. The intention is that you’re still present, you can catch up, and then return.”
Twitch streamers will also need to enable the rewind and pause features on their side, and that functionality is confined to users who are affiliated or partnered with Twitch.
Clancy suggested that the feature will ultimately be introduced to mobile devices, with a phased implementation for all Twitch users in the future. One of Clancy’s mentioned reasons for not immediately rolling out the feature widely is that Twitch wants to ensure rewind cannot be exploited to circumvent ads on the platform. He also pointed out that rewind won’t be available for DJ channels due to rights complications.
Twitch continues to be one of the leading platforms for streamers, and recently boosted the indie horror title No, I’m Not a Human. Twitch, Valve, Discord, and Reddit officials have also been summoned to testify before Congress regarding online radicalization.
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