Announcing API endpoints for Twitch channel stream schedules

Since the launch of the Twitch channel stream schedule, we’ve heard from several developers who were interested in accessing and managing this information via the Twitch API. The UserVoice suggestion had over 150 votes and the comments are filled with unique use cases that provide innovative experiences for creators and viewers.

So today, we have released six new Twitch API endpoints to read and manage channel stream schedules, including an endpoint that returns an iCalendar to easily include schedules in any calendar service that supports the format.

Please feel free to provide comments and questions in the thread below.

New Twitch API Endpoints

New Scope

channel:manage:schedule – Manage a channel’s stream schedule.

3 Likes

Nice, even an endpoint that provides an iCal formatted version of the data :slight_smile: However, the timezone IDs seem a bit weird for iCal (as in, quick testing with some parsers didn’t have 100% success rate), though I understand iCal doesn’t actually specify timezone IDs that clients should understand…

Edit: filed a uservoice on the timezones: Don't prefix iCal Timezones with / for better compatibility – Twitch UserVoice

Super dope addition to the API, thank you! :pray:

Any plans or designs on adding a similar Google Calendar “Get Channel” endpoint?

You use the iCalendar URL for Google Calendar.

Hi @BarryCarlyon , do you mean have end-users follow steps similar to those outlined on pages like this one, to manually add these events to their Google Calendar? Or is there some other way to convert or otherwise transmute iCal to the appropriate Google Calendar link format? If there is, in searching around, I haven’t found one.

What I am referring to, is the ability to generate links similar to what you see after you book in a one-time or recurring meeting with someone via Calendly, where on the confirmation page you get simple, straightforward one-click links for Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar.

If it is a one-click option, people will do that. If it is a multi-step process for Google Calendar users vs. Apple Calendar users, I expect a 90%+ drop-off rate in completing that.

  • Open Google Calendar
  • Other Calendars +
  • From URL

Copy and paste the iCal URL from the documentation

You don’t manually add the events, you just manually add the whole calendar.

A “twitch schedule” isn’t “booking a meeting”

Very cool to see an iCal endpoint.

Unfortunately it seems to throw a 500 if the schedule is empty.

So:

  • getting the iCalendar doesn’t require authentication (meaning a regular Twitch user can import a streamer’s schedule to their calendar app, as shown above)
  • to get the schedule you need to know the broadcaster_id which is rather difficult to obtain without authentication (meaning the aforementioned user can’t actually use this feature)

Am I missing something?

There is a uservoice that exists that queries some of the wisdom on this. But I can’t link to it at this time

Broadcaster_id’s never change but a username will if the caster changes their name.
But yes this is a “barrier to entry” for non devs.

But a broadcasters tool/website can easily present the URL to users to import.
And/or the broadcaster can link to the iCal URL in panels.

But a user is also not gonna be looking in the docs for iCal anyway
And the schedule page for a streamer doesn’t (currently) link to it which would solve the problem.

So there is no easy discoverability for “non devs” here anyway

Kinda wish that we could input a google calendar to have twitch grab from instead? IDK, this is a good step though.

Then you need a First Party uservoice to add that functionality.

Or get a developer to build that out for you, to convert what google generates into “channel segments” or "one off events.

The “primary” calendar for “Twitch” is “Twitch’s Calendar”

What you describe is chanign the primary to “google”

You have the additional problem of the fact that Google Doesn’t have a “what game is streamer gonna play” so all your events would import from Google to Twitch wihtout a category/game attached to it. So it doesn’t make sense for Google to be the “primary” as it will lack a number of data points.

1 Like

Hey folks, I’m the PM on Schedule at Twitch who has been working with the Helix team for some of these.

The iCal endpoint is something we specifically had in mind for streamers who aren’t building their own API integrations to easily be able to connect their Twitch stream schedule into calendar applications to make it easy to see when they planned to stream relative to the rest of their other life events.

We’ll be exposing it in the dashboard in a way that makes it easy for them to connect soon. We just have a bit more testing and iteration to do on it.

2 Likes

I love the calendar integration, but mine has stopped updating? Any thoughts?

Same here, the calendar integration does not update for me anymore.