Twitch is a platform with an incredibly large and diverse userbase, as well as a fair share of controversy -- both earned and undeserved. Understandably, communication is a major priority for Twitch going forward, particularly surrounding controversies like bans or users leaving the platform. Twitch has now made a small but significant change with that in mind. Users visiting a Twitch channel that's been closed will now see a message clarifying why that is.
This afternoon Twitch shared a message on Twitter announcing and briefly detailing the change. Now, when Twitch viewers visit a channel that's been deleted or suspended, they'll see an error message confirming one or the other. If a Twitch streamer has deleted their channel, the message will read "This channel has been closed by the user." If they've been suspended or banned, it will read, "This channel is currently unavailable due to a violation of Twitch's Community Guidelines or Terms of Service." The errors will see on a flat background with a small ghost icon and a button marked "Browse channels."
Previously, Twitch users were left with no real information regarding what may or may not have happened to a Twitch channel if it was removed. The message users would receive was, "Sorry. Unless you've got a time machine, that content is unavailable." If a Twitch follower or subscriber logged on one day to find their favorite streamer gone, they had no real answer for where they were or if they'd be back.
Obviously, it's easy to imagine why the previous situation needed to be improved by Twitch. For users, it's a matter of being informed about something they may be personally invested in, if not monetarily invested in. For Twitch, it's not just about a better experience for users, but also avoiding users going to Twitter or Reddit where they'd be frustrated about the situation and potentially introduce negativity within the community.
Twitch hasn't gone completely transparent with its changes, of course. If a Twitch streamer is banned, users still won't be informed regarding details of that ban. It's up to the Twitch streamer to share how long they've been banned for and why. Twitch won't go so far as sharing a user's personal information.
It can't be denied that this is an improvement for Twitch as a platform. And it just goes to show that Twitch has many opportunities available to it to improve its website and support for the Twitch community that may not be immediately apparent.