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Hosting on Twitch is Ending on October 3, 2022

What is Hosting?
Host mode is a channel feature available to all Twitch users. Host mode gives all broadcasters the ability to host another channel’s live stream on their own channel page without changing your channel, allowing viewers to experience the content of choice within your in your chat room!

Twitch is Removing Host Mode
Twitch removes host mode and no one understands why. In a move that confuses broadcasters and viewers, Twitch will remove the ability to host other streams in early October. This feature, first introduced in 2014, allows streamers to stream directs viewers to another Twitch character’s live stream while offline. It’s a convenient way for streamers to highlight friends and other creators when they’re not streaming themselves, making it possible for you to use someone’s home page when they don’t have content. But oddly enough, Twitch is currently claiming that Server Mode “prevents” viewers from interacting with live streamers in a post announcing the feature’s removal on October 3, 2022.

We made the decision to deprecate this feature because the experience it delivers to viewers doesn’t match their expectations when they come to Twitch,” the news read(opens in new tab). “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 reason seems a bit confusing considering that host mode only works when the streamer’s main page is offline, and it’s pretty easy to click on the hosted stream to start talking and interact with the streamer. I’m not the only one confused by this, with many people streaming to Twitch to simply ask: why? “highly unnecessary,” adding “I host when I’m currently not live so my unused channel clicks to someone that IS live for more engagement.” Scottish streamer Limmy shared the sentiment, calling the removal “daft” and saying “it’s the streamer not being live that prevents interacting with the streamer.” 

As some have pointed out, raids – where a streamer preparing to go offline can redirect their audience to someone else who is currently live – do exist, but both feel as they serve different goals. Raid is a great way to give viewers other things to interact with later, but also requires the active participation of the raid streamer. Hosting is much more passive and is a great way to highlight smaller streamers. Hosting will now switch to a “recommended channel”, presumably an algorithm trying to push similar creators to the page you’re on. It’s a shame that this leaves streamers with no choice, although that could be why: Twitch wants to showcase other streamers themselves, rather than the host channel doing so. However, the backlash among streamers is very real, so we’ll see if the streaming giant is on the right track.

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