The streaming giant Twitch announces the removal of an important feature. Smaller accounts were able to be better discovered by potential viewers with it. Now they are complaining about the change.
This is the feature in question: On September 6, Twitch announced that the popular host mode will no longer be available starting October 3.
The feature allowed channels to host another account while they themselves were offline. This enabled larger channels to share their reach, and smaller ones had the chance to be more easily discovered.
The host mode was introduced in 2014 to allow streamers to show their viewers another stream when they went offline.
Smaller streamers are mainly affected by the removal of the host mode. But who were actually the first to gain real traction in streaming?
Twitch believes host mode does not fit the platform
So why does Twitch want to remove host mode? As the streaming platform recently announced via the FAQ of the hosting feature, the experience does not meet the expectations viewers have when they come to Twitch (via Twitch).
Unlike a so-called raid, viewers are not redirected to the hosted channel; they remain on the host’s page and in their chat.
However, viewers expressed the desire to interact with streamers, which the feature prevents. This would also restrict the growth of streamers.
What happens now? With the shutdown of host mode on October 3, the “/host” command and the “Host Channel” stream manager will no longer be available either.
The setting “Autohost” will be replaced by “Suggested Channels.” Twitch recommends adding smaller accounts that one wants to share their reach with to this list of suggested channels. Additionally, streamers could give shoutouts to channels they want to support or send their followers there at the end of their own streams.
Streamers are worried about discoverability
Here are the reactions: On Twitter, the announced change was not well received. Reactions ranged from sorrow to disbelief to anger. Many streamers with smaller reach now fear they will not be easily found anymore.
Some see this as a contradiction from Twitch. After all, the platform itself had said that the mode helps small streamers gain more reach (via Twitter). This raises the question for some as to whether Twitch is even interested in the growth of small streamers.
Many streamers reported that the host mode had helped them be discovered by new viewers – or that they had themselves found some of their favorite channels through the feature. The German YouTuber and streamer Erik “Gronkh” Range also contributed to the discussion.
Gronkh demanded that streamers be given more freedom to decide. He absolutely could not understand the decision, and raids are not a good substitute, as not all viewers would notice them (via Twitter).
Are there also positive reactions? Yes, there are actually some. Some users of the streaming platform appreciate the removal of the host mode. It had only caused confusion, as viewers often did not see the streamer they expected (via Twitter).
Furthermore, the removal could prompt streamers to make more use of the raid function, which is already more valuable (via Twitter).
What do you think about the removal of the host mode? Have you had the experience of going to a streamer’s channel and unexpectedly seeing a completely different streamer? Or has it helped you discover a new favorite? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion.
While the removal of the host mode causes frustration, Twitch recently made an important concession: Streamers now have more freedom to stream on other platforms as well. However, this came with restrictions, which the former golden boy of Twitch immediately took to mock the platform.
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