by The online gaming juggernaut Twitch.Tv releases a new version of it’s popular but often broken iOS app. There’s the usual “bug fixes” but in an odd move they’ve removed search and limited the amount of watchable streams to 300.
Twitch.tv Version 2.3.3 updates include:
- Significant performance and stability improvements
- Top 300 channels only at high quality of service.
- Removed search.
- Display Ads.
I can see the logic behind limiting streams to 300 of the highest viewed and most popular channel but it does make it harder for new casts. Not only that it’s incredibly frustrating and off putting when indulging in some cast surfing to find chat loads fine but video doesnt. Feedback from the app store echos the same sentiments.
Latest update has made the app even worse…if that’s possible. They’ve not solved the black screen problem. In other words if a stream is not in the top 300 channels, you can’t watch it. They’ve even taken away the search facility!! Why? I can’t search for my favourite game now!! On the iPad if you click on all games only about 20 lists and then no more.
Anyone who’s used the previous versions will be aware of clicking on the spanner, report issue. The video is completely blank. Could this have been used to choose what channels and the amount allowed onto iOS? Was Reporting Streams A Clever ploy? I dont mean to get all tin foil hat here but what a way to find out what’s in usage.
Twitch.TV monetisation continues
TwitchTV Turbo was the start of the bigger plan to really pull in the revenue from viewers, now there’s links to games in the guise of a Play now.
http://hastrk2.com/serve?action=click&publisher_id=16658&site_id=3638&offer_id=239312&sub_campaign=kslots-ttv-501-a@-a_app@a-50a-ios-directory_all_games
Despite updates Twitch fails to deliver. During testing not all channels would load (before I realised how crippled the app would be. When surfing i’d say about 30% of channels would display video and annoyingly those I followed wouldn’t. Those channels with a bigger viewer count unsurprisingly worked offering different bit rates to view with
If only Ustream was half as popular as twitch.
(incidentaly http://hastrk2.com/ takes you to https://play.google.com/store) funny that.
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