Twitch is set to get rid of host mode next month, because it apparently “limits a streamer’s growth potential”.
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The feature was originally launched in 2014, and allows streamers to redirect their viewers to live channels whilst they’re offline, via their homepage.
“We introduced host mode in 2014 to make it easy for streamers to give their viewers another stream to watch when they went offline. Since its launch, we’ve learned that streamers want to share their viewers with other streamers to help them grow and have introduced features that help you do that,” says Twitch.
The company made the decision to deprecate the feature “because the experience it delivers to viewers doesn’t match their expectations when they come to Twitch. Viewers want to interact with a streamer when they’re live and host mode blocks this from happening. Preventing viewers from interacting with the streamer they’re watching also limits a streamer’s growth potential because they’re not able to build meaningful connections with those new viewers,” the post continued.
Host mode is set to be removed on October 3.
/host and host mode is going away on October 3rd, 2022.#TwitchNews pic.twitter.com/eWAzIaPd7R
— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) September 6, 2022
Replacing the autohost list will be a new suggested channels list, allowing streamers to “endorse their channel to those who visit your channel when you’re offline. When their channel is live, their stream will appear in the carousel at the top of the page. You can also display your suggested streamers list in your streamer shelf.”
Elsewhere in the post, Twitch recommends shouting out other streamers or sending them to their channel using the raid feature. “As a streamer, the most effective way you can help another streamer grow is by promoting them to your viewers when you’re live,” says Twitch.
Fans are less than impressed by the news though. “So Twitch is going to remove one of the best discoverability tools out there right now and that’s the host feature. No one asked for it to be removed,” wrote Dreggas13 on Twitter. “I just heard about Twitch’s latest decision to remove the “Host” feature, and I just want you to know: Every single time y’all hosted my channel, I was so grateful. Hosting was a free and great way to support a streamer and I hate to see it go,” added Azezra_.
"well the people watching the host channel is not engaging with the channel being hosted"
but without hosting they wouldn't be anyway! at least with the channel being hosted there'd be more of a chance of exposing that streamer to new folk who may stick around— JoCat (@JoCat105) September 6, 2022
In other news, Ninja, the owner of the most followed channel on Twitch, has announced he is taking a “break”.
Earlier this month, Twitch changed its partner agreement to allow streamers more flexibility over which rival platforms they could use.
It comes as another top Twitch streamer Pokimane confirmed she was taking a step back from the platform, and will be focusing on other social media sites like TikTok and Instagram.
The post Twitch to scrap host mode because it apparently “limits a streamer’s growth potential” appeared first on NME.
