Twitch itself, however, claims that users will still be suggested only the content they usually like. A fan of Call of Duty would thus not be suggested streams of unrelated titles like Minecraft or similar.
What happens next? But for the moment it means: wait and see. The people in charge at Twitch will closely watch the response and feedback from viewers and streamers. Thus, the Boost feature could be off the table faster than it appeared.
But what do you think of the new Twitch feature? Would you help your favorite generate even more reach, even if it involves a payment? Let us know in the comments and discuss with us.
Twitch is testing 3 new features with you – “Rewind” as a future function
On September 30, 2021, Twitch announced the Boost feature. This is supposed to help streamers increase their reach. However, Twitch users view the new feature critically, as it turns Pay2Win into unfair competition.
What is this feature? For several days now, users can support their favorite streamer with money. “Hasn’t this been possible for a long time!” you might think? However, it’s no longer just possible to donate money in the form of bits or cash amounts. Monetary donations can flow directly into the streamer’s reach. This particularly annoys smaller streamers.
The new “Boost Channel” feature, which Twitch introduced on September 30, is now here and allows exactly that: money for reach, at least in theory. Because the feature suggests the boosted channel to a certain number of users. How many of them actually click on the channel and how many then even stay, no one can say.
Even big streamers have already expressed very negative views about the Boost feature, even though they would easily benefit from it.
Boosting is very expensive: Critics say this and more
The costs of boosting a streamer can vary widely. If a fan pays $0.99, the stream will be suggested to exactly 1,000 users. On the other side of the spectrum, viewers can pay up to $500 to promote their favorite streamer. In this case, the stream will be suggested to hundreds of thousands.
Who can boost? Currently, the Boost feature is limited to the market in North America. Users in Europe currently do not have access to it.
Whether the feature will even be introduced in the rest of the world is questionable. Twitch is currently receiving criticism not only from regular users but also from big streamers.
For example, Twitch number one Felix “xQc” Lengyel commented on the feature and called it the worst idea Twitch has ever had:
This is just legal viewbotting. Twitch will say it isn’t, but that’s exactly what it is. (…) Users will leave the platform if this feature is implemented because they will no longer be suggested new content organically.
xQc via Twitch
Twitch itself, however, claims that users will still be suggested only the content they usually like. A fan of Call of Duty would thus not be suggested streams of unrelated titles like Minecraft or similar.
What happens next? But for the moment it means: wait and see. The people in charge at Twitch will closely watch the response and feedback from viewers and streamers. Thus, the Boost feature could be off the table faster than it appeared.
But what do you think of the new Twitch feature? Would you help your favorite generate even more reach, even if it involves a payment? Let us know in the comments and discuss with us.
Twitch is testing 3 new features with you – “Rewind” as a future function
