--- title: "TwitchCon 2026: Twitch Plans 5-Minute Clips, Starts Shoppable Ads" description: "At TwitchCon 2026, Twitch said it plans 5-minute clips and outside video uploads, and launched Amazon shoppable ads. What streamers and brands should do next." url: https://publishmyblog.com/creators/twitchcon-5-minute-clips-shoppable-ads/ section: "Creators" author: "Saeed Shahriar" published: 2026-11-15T09:39:16.707Z updated: 2026-11-15T09:46:28.412Z --- # TwitchCon 2026: Twitch Plans 5-Minute Clips, Starts Shoppable Ads Short video still pays streamers nothing directly, and the new shoppable ads only work for products already sold on Amazon. On 13 November, as TwitchCon 2026 got under way in San Diego, Twitch went after short video, the kind of clips that tend to go viral for its streamers on TikTok, Shorts and Instagram. So **Twitch is working on clips of up to 5 minutes**, plus uploads made outside the app. And it started selling shoppable ads that send your viewers straight to Amazon. Do you stream, or pay streamers to show your product? Then both halves affect you. ## TwitchCon 2026 clip news: longer clips and outside uploads In its own [TwitchCon roundup](https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2026/11/13/twitchcon-san-diego-2026/), Twitch says it's working to stretch the clip limit from 60 seconds to 5 minutes. Streamers will also be able to merge short clips into one. No date for either. A VOD timeline that marks the busiest moments of your last stream, like Chat spikes or Hype Trains, is coming "soon". Twitch's own numbers explain the push: since January, **views in the Clips feed have doubled**, and follows coming out of the Clips feed are up by more than a third. Stream Recaps, the short highlight reel of your last stream, was relaunched two weeks before the show, and more than 400,000 channels have had a Recap published since then, Twitch says. Soon you'll be able to name trusted clippers whose clips go into your Recap on their own, while you still decide what makes the final cut. [Digiday adds the bigger change](https://digiday.com/media/were-not-trying-to-be-twitchtok-twitch-adds-new-short-form-video-feature/): from early next year, **you can upload short videos you made outside Twitch**. A new Category Recap shelf will fill category pages with clips and recaps. Is Twitch turning into TikTok? Its chief product officer, Mike Minton, says no. "We're not trying to be TwitchTok," he told Digiday. The aim is to pull viewers into your live streams, where the money is. That matters for your income. There's no direct monetisation for short video on Twitch yet, even though ads already sit between clips. Minton said **about 70% of creator earnings come straight from fans** rather than ads. ## The ads: shoppable now, skippable in December Then there's the ad side. [Marketing Dive reports](https://www.marketingdive.com/news/twitch-debuts-shoppable-skippable-ads-as-twitchcon-feels-growing-pains/874614/) two new formats. - **Shoppable ads**: an overlay on Twitch video ads. Viewers add your product to their Amazon cart and buy it on Amazon. - **Skippable ads**: you pay only when someone watches more than 30 seconds, finishes a shorter ad or clicks. Shoppable ads went into open desktop beta on 13 November for advertisers in the US and Canada, while the skippable ones reach open beta in December. The catch? **Your product has to be sold on Amazon already.** In return, you skip the landing page and the custom creative. Brands can buy them alongside Prime Video ads through the [Amazon Ads Agent](https://publishmyblog.com/marketing/amazon-ads-hits-19-6b-in-q3/), and Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia Pacific follow during the first half of 2027. Razer tested skippable ads in the US and saw a **2.44x higher return on ad spend**, Marketing Dive says. That's one brand's test, though. ## What we checked On 15 November we read Twitch's own [TwitchCon San Diego 2026 roundup](https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2026/11/13/twitchcon-san-diego-2026/). It confirms the 5-minute clip plan as "working to extend", with no date. The post itself doesn't mention outside uploads or either ad format, so those rest on Digiday's and Marketing Dive's reporting. Recaps on category pages come up only once, in a teaser line for an older post. Then we opened Twitch's help article, [How to Create, Edit, and Share Clips](https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/how-to-use-clips?language=en_US). **It still caps clips at 60 seconds** and says nothing about uploading outside videos. It does list direct posting to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. So today, your clips on Twitch are still built to travel somewhere else, and the uploads Digiday describes aren't in that help article yet. ## Why it matters If you stream, this is Twitch admitting its live format struggles to win new viewers. Minton told Digiday live content "isn't amazing for discovery". So **set up Stream Recaps now**. Then pick your trusted clippers once that option arrives, because I think the follows coming out of the Clips feed are the cheapest new viewers short video on Twitch will get you this year. But keep posting to TikTok and Shorts. Short video on Twitch pays you nothing directly yet, and Minton only says he expects ads around clips to pay creators "over time". For brands, here's how I'd split the two formats: - Skippable ads: test these first, since you only pay for a real view or a click, which suits a small budget. - Shoppable ads: only if your product is already sold on Amazon. Sell only on your own Shopify store? Then skip them. Twitch also says hosting is coming back, with a few updates, and that it will begin experimenting with a new version later this year. My read: **the hosting comeback may help small streamers as much as any clip tool**. ## Common Questions **How long can Twitch clips be after the TwitchCon 2026 announcements?** Still 60 seconds today. Twitch says it's working to extend the limit to 5 minutes and to let streamers combine short clips, but it gave no date, and its help article still shows the 60-second cap. **Can Twitch streamers earn money from short-form clips and uploads?** There's no direct pay for short video on Twitch yet, according to chief product officer Mike Minton in Digiday, though ads already appear between clips. He expects ways for ads around clips to pay creators over time. **Who can buy Twitch's new shoppable ads, and what do they need?** Advertisers in the US and Canada, in an open desktop beta since 13 November, per Marketing Dive. The product must already be sold on Amazon, because viewers add it to their Amazon cart and buy there. ## Sources - [More Ways to Create, Connect, and Play: TwitchCon San Diego 2026.](https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2026/11/13/twitchcon-san-diego-2026/), Twitch - [‘We’re not trying to be TwitchTok’: Twitch adds new short-form video feature](https://digiday.com/media/were-not-trying-to-be-twitchtok-twitch-adds-new-short-form-video-feature/), Digiday - [Twitch debuts shoppable, skippable ads as TwitchCon feels growing pains](https://www.marketingdive.com/news/twitch-debuts-shoppable-skippable-ads-as-twitchcon-feels-growing-pains/874614/), Marketing Dive - [How to Create, Edit, and Share Clips](https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/how-to-use-clips?language=en_US), Twitch Help