Twit.tv Shutting down Live Stream and IRC

[Podnutter]

I know many of you guys are TWiT fans and will be disappointment to hear that Leo Laporte and TWiT.TV will be shutting down its IRC chatroom and no longer providing a live version of its shows. Everything from now on will be pre produced

In my opinion this is really bad. the entire model for that company has been community.

The reason given is due to constant harassment from a few people in the audience. How does killing the live stream help with that?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfaUyDMJrlw

Comments?

[jamesdelfresco]

Im am a little confused he is changing his entire model because of "haters". Why not just create a pay wall for live content and the chatroom.

[thetechbuzz]

I think he's making a mistake, Live is the future. If he was smart he could have monetized off this instead of killing it completely. One thing we are all taught when doing online broadcasting, is that we should not "Feed the trolls." Especially after he said on the "Tech Guy" that the chat room was his extended "Brain." He even stated "Live" was the future. I wish him the best, but I think it's a HUGE mistake.

[Colm]

I would have to agree with you Stephen. He has always defended and pitched how "LIVE" was the future and that the interaction with chat was revolutionary.

[Linuxcooldude]

Never really been a fan of Twit. Mostly because of the online shenanigans I won't mention. He says its due to trolls for stopping the live stream and chat. I believe its to edit mistakes like accidental release of a picture during a live broadcast. An oops moment.

[ChaseShumway]

I agree with Linuxcooldude. I could go into who I think is really behind these decisions, but I'll just leave that out of this post.

It sounds like they're going to explore chat room options. A monthly fee to be in a member's only chat room might just work. And they aren't just phasing it out either. They're getting rid of the chat cold turkey. It'll be really interesting to see the reaction and/or fallout to this decision. I think Twit will be fine in the long run.

Although, it sounds like they're moving more toward the cable network model of pre-taped, pre-edited programs that wouldn't need a chat room anyway. I think we're seeing that with THE NEW SCREEN SAVERS. They're cutting to packages and segments that are clearly taped and edited. I'm assuming SCREEN SAVERS and THIS WEEK IN TECH will still be live. Or maybe not???

I hope one day my show gets popular enough that I have to worry about trolls in my chat room. :p

[yakk0dotorg]

wow...not unexpected though. I used to listen to a ton of TWiT shows, now it's down to some of TWiT and Macbreak Weekly and most of Windows Weekly and Security Now. I tend to get bored with all the Apple Watch talk on TWiT and MBW. Unless there's something really interesting I tune out and move to the next podcast in my list.

[PaulSaunders]

I don't believe this is the end the chatroom or live content. It might be for the short term but they will be back with a pay model for the "TWiT Army" This might be a great excuse for him to charge the listeners 9.99 a month to have access to live content and be part of the community.

[Podnutter]

Well since this afternoon so much has changed. Perez Hilton and a few other sites have picked up the story.

[Podnutter]

This is just turning really strange. It seems like Twit will not be ending live content and will also most likely keep the chatroom.

http://www.ibroadcastnetwork.org/news/twit-network-changes-format-shutting-down-chatroom-and-live-content

[PaulSaunders]

Lisa posted a response on the twit website

http://twit.tv/2015/05/27/evolution-twit-live


Part of this is the TWiT chat room, which offers direct access to our hosts and guests. Our volunteer moderators have always been diligent in keeping the chat on topic and not letting a few troublemakers derail the discussion. But it's gotten to where moderating the chat and people's frustrations with that have become a distraction. There has to be a better way, and we are working on a new chat solution to maintain a high level of interaction with our audience. We'll have more details on this soon.

The other part is our live stream, where you can watch us record our shows. With the number of shows on our network--now more than 20--adhering to a set schedule sometimes constrains our ability to produce live content. This doesn't mean that the live stream is going away, but we are going to mix up the format and offer both live and pre-recorded shows to minimize downtime. To this end, we may modify our broadcast schedule.

[Spencer Kobren]

Business models evolve, and after reading Lisa’s blog post addressing the changes, I can’t blame them for making this move. To be candid, I think it’s in their best personal interest, and I’m sure they’ll figure out ways to benefit from the evolution professionally as well. I’ve alway’s believed that their model, while successful, left Leo and his staff dangerously vulnerable. I get the voyeuristic component of what they do, but I always thought that their approach was surprisingly naive, and left them wide open to the unnecessary distractions, and the very real safety concerns that Lisa discussed in her post.

[ronknights]

I haven't watched TWIT consistently over the years. I prefer to watch a live show where I can interact with the host(s), even in a limited manner. That's why I prefer the GFQNetwork and thetechbuzz.

TWIT's chatroom has always been overrun with Trolls, Spammers, etc. It was just too chaotic to be useable or enjoyable for me. It's the sheer magnitude, the number of chat users. It's all well & good to through out the tired adage of "don't feed the trolls." But TWIT's chatroom is in a totally different class than most live shows I know.

I haven't been to TWIT for awhile. I got the impression they'll keep live shows, but are still trying to figure how to handle chat in order to get rid of the troubles.

[AgentPete]

I realize I drifted away from TWiT a couple of years ago – this news has made me take another look at it. Sadly, the new TWiT isn’t nearly as compelling as I initially found it.

All podcasters owe Leo et al a huge debt of gratitude for his pioneering work. Having said that, I have the strong feeling that he and his team are moving in entirely the wrong direction now.

Show roster – looking a bit tired. Nothing seems striking original or – using that word again – compelling.

Hosts – TwiT has definitely had some star hosts, Leo included. And the host’s personality is so closely linked to audience retention. A few names I still recognize – nice to see Andy Ihnatko still there. But no mega-names, and some obvious, and high-profile, departures. Wondering whether TWiT is still really all about Leo?

Website –not keen on the new look. Cold and corporate. Where is the fun, the personal foibles, the stuff that made TWiT look and seem a bit rebellious and edgy? Feels middle aged now.

The real shocker, though, was the extremely sad story of Erik Lanigan. The Youtube collection of clips from Leo and his CEO wife are pretty dreadful. At that point, I’m afraid I lost sympathy with, and interest in, Leo and his activities. No boss should talk about his employees that way in public. It’s unacceptable.

I suspect the raising of the drawbridge at TWiT towers is partly a reaction to this. But if they turn themselves into just another broadcaster – i.e. return to what I think were Leo’s original roots – their competitive advantage all but disappears.

TWiT seems to be in a disagreeable situation. They are sending a message to (part) of their audience that they don’t like ‘em, and don’t want to invite ‘em into the TWiT home any more.

A broadcaster at war with its audience cannot survive... can it?

[jamesdelfresco]

I was a fan for a long time. I no longer listen becasue Leo doesnt care anymore.