Video streaming platform Twitch seems to have backpedaled on two of the major changes it announced this week amidst remarkable outcry from broadcasters and viewers who patronize the service. First, the company has decided not to limit the length of user-created “Highlight” clips (which can be edited together from broadcast footage using Twitch’s editing tool) after initially announcing that such clips would have a two-hour maximum run time in order to address storage concerns. This seems like good news for developers and game video creators who use Twitch highlight clips as a way of preserving lengthy development livestreams, community broadcasts or Let’s Play videos. Second, Twitch plans to add an “Appeal” button that should make it a bit easier for developers to contest instances of erroneous muting caused by the platform’s new content-flagging policy. This is potentially interesting in light of the fact that several developers (including Crypt of the NecroDancer creator Ryan Clark and Roundabout developer Dan Teasdale) have expressed concerns about the time and expense involved in clearing up false copyright infringement claims made against videos of their work by Twitch’s new Audio Detection algorithm. These updates come in the wake of Twitch CEO Emmet Shear taking to Reddit yesterday for an “Ask Me Anything” Q&A in which he attempted to clarify how the company’s new policies would affect viewers and broadcasters. The discussion was complex and poorly-organized, so we took the liberty of running down some of his most notable statements and providing context in our guide to understanding Twitch’s new content-flagging policy.
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2014