Starting next month, Twitch will make a policy change, reducing the Video on Demand (VOD) threshold for some streamers. While the streaming giant's data says the impact will be minimal, the new change could be huge for some content creators.

The change, which will occur on September 1, will lower the VOD threshold by half, going from 14 days to 7 days. For those unfamiliar with VOD, it is a service offered by Twitch that will automatically archive footage from previous livestreams. By keeping a small backlog of content, audience members can easily catch up with old streams, and also new viewers can check out what the streamer has to offer. This mode can be enabled in the stream settings in the creator dashboard.

As of now, those with Partner, Prime, or Turbo accounts have 60 days of VOD storage. Furthermore, those under the Affiliate Program have 14 days of storage. Finally, streamers or subscribers not part of the categories above have 14 days of storage as well.  As you can imagine, the new change does not encompass all accounts. For the most part, things will stay the same, with Partner, Prime, Turbo, and Affiliate accounts retaining their VOD storage statuses. Those not in the previously mentioned categories will see a reduction, going from 14 days to 7 days.

According to Twitch, it decided to make the change because its data showed that most views in the VOD category occurred within the first seven days. So while this shouldn't be a change that affects many, there is the possibility that some could experience issues. Those that require more time will most likely need to pay, opting for a higher tier of Twitch service. For example, paying for a Turbo subscription, which costs $8.99 a month, can extend the VOD archive to 60 days. Again, this change will go into effect starting September 1. While now might not be the best time to create a new Twitch account, if you're curious, check out our full guide on how to stream using a Windows PC.

Source: Twitch