Twitch ad specs: sizes, files and what works in streams

Twitch ad specs come in two sets. Ads that Twitch sells through Amazon Ads follow Amazon's spec pages: unskippable 1920×1080 H.264 video at 24–30 fps, up to 30 seconds for First Impression Takeover and 6 to 60 seconds for Premium Video, or static display units such as 728×90 and 160×600 at no more than 50 kB. Ads inside the broadcast itself, such as APIQ's banners, full-screen video and Frame-roll, are designed for a 1920×1080 screen, with video as MP4 (H.264, 30 fps) up to 30 MB.

This guide covers sizes, files, how the artboard reads on a phone, and a pre-flight checklist. What each product does and when to buy it: Twitch takeover vs in-stream ads.

Twitch ad specs from Amazon Ads

Twitch's own inventory is listed on Amazon Ads' Twitch ad specs page. The main units:

Source: Amazon Ads spec pages, as of 31 October 2026. They change, so check again before export.

Beyond pixel sizes, the pages set rules:

• Type size. Headliner and Stream Display Ads ask for at least 12 pt for copy and 9 pt for claims and disclaimers, which may take no more than 20% of the ad's height.
• Don't draw a button where the platform puts one. In the Headliner app feed, the ad label and an auto-generated “Learn More” button take 12% of the height; no other CTA buttons in the image.
• Sound is not guaranteed. Vertical Video Ads play silently next to the stream on desktop.
• Markets differ by product. The US, the UK, Germany and Spain are in all five market lists; Turkey only in those for Vertical Video Ads and Stream Display Ads. The Channel Takeover page gives none.

In-stream creative specs: what each format needs

In-stream ads are not a Twitch product. The streamer adds APIQ's ad layer once in broadcasting software such as OBS, and the creative becomes part of the video: every viewer sees it, ad blockers don't remove it, the streamer can't change it. APIQ runs on Twitch, Kick, YouTube Live and TikTok Live.

Source: APIQ formats, as of 31 October 2026. Full requirements come with the media plan.

Frame-roll is one frame, not two ads. The stream shrinks to about 80% and plays at 1536×864 in the top-left corner; panel and banner meet in the bottom-right corner, so design them together (What is Frame-roll).

How a 1920×1080 creative reads on a phone

Take a player 400 pixels wide, for example on a phone held upright. Everything is scaled down by a factor of 400 ÷ 1920, about 0.21:

Reverse it for a working rule: to be 12 pixels tall in that player, a line needs about 58 on the canvas (12 × 1920 ÷ 400). A 24-pixel line becomes 5.

Compression makes it harder: the layer is encoded together with the stream picture, so hairlines and low contrast go first. Google's ABCDs of effective video ads (checked 31 October 2026) also advise bright, high-contrast visuals without competing elements.

Sound, motion and the chat link

Sound. Full-screen video is the format for stories that need sound and motion; a streamer may introduce it in their own words, if they choose. For banners and Frame-roll the format pages say nothing about audio, so ask about it when you request the media plan and make the message work silently.

Motion. Banners take GIF or video; Frame-roll, video up to 30 seconds or a static frame for 15. Next to a fast game, one clear movement beats a busy loop.

The chat link carries the click. Every APIQ placement has three clickable slots. On average across campaigns, about 80% of clicks come from the chat link, 10% from the QR code and 10% from the screen (where clicks come from). Each channel gets its own link, and on Twitch and Kick the system checks that it is pinned. Your part: a landing page that opens fast on a phone and tracking (AppsFlyer, Adjust, UTM tags). On screen, “Link in chat” beats a URL nobody types.

From client reports in Turkey: Migros Hemen ran full-screen video on 203 channels with a chat link every 15 minutes and got 6,051 clicks on 300,334 verified views, a CTR of 2.01%. Mavi's 30-second video: 1,770 clicks on 110,165 views, 1.61%. These are examples, not benchmarks.

Labeling the ad in the creative

The simplest place for the label is the creative itself. In the US, the FTC's guide for influencers (November 2019) asks for the disclosure in the video itself and, in live streams, repeated periodically so viewers who see only part of the stream still get it. In the UK, the ASA's guidance (March 2023) says it is likely to expect influencer ads to carry a prominent label up front, such as “Ad”. In practice, that means an “Ad” label in the creative; check your case with legal counsel.

Common creative mistakes in live-stream ads

1. Too much text. At phone size it turns into a gray stripe. One message per zone.
2. Your own QR code in the artwork. The platform adds one; a second, smaller code competes with it and may be too small to scan.
3. A long URL on screen. Nobody types it mid-stream. Point to the chat link and QR code.
4. An unchecked TV spot. It works as is at 15–30 seconds, but end-card small print won't survive a phone-sized player.
5. Key content in the stream area. In Frame-roll the top-left 1536×864 belongs to the stream.

Pre-flight checklist and how creatives are approved

Before you send files:

1. Size and duration match the table for each format.
2. Video exported as MP4 (H.264, 30 fps) and under 30 MB; for a 30-second spot that means a total bitrate below about 8,000 kbps (30 MB × 8 ÷ 30 s).
3. Text checked at 400 pixels wide: the smallest line still reads.
4. No QR code of your own; landing page and tracking links ready.
5. An “Ad” label in the creative, as your market requires.
6. Two or three versions: they can run on different streamers, and the report compares views and clicks.

At APIQ the media plan arrives within 24 hours of the brief, with the technical requirements; launch follows 1–2 days after the streamer and creative list is approved. A timed start switches the campaign on at a set hour, useful for an embargoed release. During the campaign, computer vision checks screenshots for the creative's presence, position and clickable elements; if the creative is broken or hidden, the view doesn't count as verified. No creative yet? APIQ can help prepare it.