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Do not deprecate hosts.

There was a notice put out about hosts becoming deprecated next month.
This is an awful idea. Do not do this.
The reason given for doing it is clear and obvious deflection; it's false. No one with average viewership under like 6000 uses twitch chats as a community server; when someone is offline, that's it. Their attention is off the chat and elsewhere. The idea that hosts prevent interactions with streamers is complete bull.
Moreover, raids are not a direct replacement for hosts (most people don't even -know- this because this fact has been so thoroughly obfuscated,) because of the referral ID causing a viewer to not count to the raided channel for ad or partnership metrics. Hosting was an incredibly useful -community building tool- on twitch; you host into another channel, that user notes you down, they host into you and share their audience in a way that actually contributes useful numbers beyond "was a viewer". Raiding does not do this. Raiding is an anti-growth tool. Viewers might follow and check someone out again following a raid, but many are there primarily just because a streamer raided them over and have no interest in staying; hosts, because they required active interaction with the hosted channel were more likely to stay because it tested viewer interest.
Hosting was and still is an invaluable community tool. To remove it and not provide its actual functionality to raids is extremely anti-user.
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mdct shared this idea  ·   ·  Report…  ·  Admin →
Declined  ·  Danky responded  · 

Hello everyone! Thank you for coming together to bring us your feedback on Hosts. We made the decision to remove this feature because it consistently confuses viewers–particularly new viewers or those who are less familiar with Twitch–because they don’t realize the channel they visited is hosting another stream and also they cannot interact with the hosted streamer in chat.

We also hear your feedback and acknowledge the need for community building tools that help promote other streamers. We’ve recently introduced the following features that help you do that:

  • We recently released a feature called shoutout that lets you promote another streamer’s channel in your chat and makes it easy for your viewers to follow that channel without leaving your stream. To initiate the shoutout during your stream, use the chat command “/shoutout [channel]” - viewers who do not follow the channel will see a pop-up with a follow button for that channel. If the streamer has an upcoming stream in their schedule, the shoutout will also highlight their next scheduled stream with a button to set a reminder to watch.
  • Recommend another stream to viewers when you are offline by adding them to your Suggested Channels list in your channel settings (formerly known as your “Autohost list”). 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.

We appreciate the feedback you’ve shared, and look forward to new suggestions that help your communities connect with one another.

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  • soundsnotstr8 commented  ·   ·  Report

    Hosts is such a great tool for community building. Like if you as a viewer trust a streamer, and finding other streamers that streamer recommends. Its a community tool. If anything Twitch should find ways to make hosts more accessible and recommended features based off of viewers and streamers to connect and bond communities better.

  • thislittlelog commented  ·   ·  Report

    Keep hosting available, not only is this good for promoting smaller streamers, but it also helps keep something going on while you're away
  • nonbeaunary commented  ·   ·  Report

    Hosting helps get the word of smaller Twitch creators out there even when you aren't able to be there the whole time- Because Twitch also bases its verification and benefits to creators on VIEWER COUNT, not JUST followers, a follower command does not solve the issues removing the host button does. I would instead recommend adding a command or option to return one from 'hosting' to normal viewing of the channel, if this is such an issue.

  • PastilleOfRohan commented  ·   ·  Report

    Please, please PLEASE keep Hosting available, because it helps promote your friends' stream while your offline.
  • Negatron00 commented  ·   ·  Report

    Keep hosting. Removing it only harms small streamers and funnels viewership to the top streamers on the platform, whose content is usually vastly different from smaller creators. I RARELY watch streams with more than 60 or 70 in chat and 90% of the time or more I'm watching streams with 5 to 15 viewers. We are in it together down here in smallsville, removing hosts gives us even less tools with which to grow. Once again, removing hosts HURTS viewership overall, and "Recommendeds" will ultimately reduce the variety of content offered on this platform and DRAMATICALLY reduce its value.
  • semipreciousjules commented  ·   ·  Report

    I'm really disappointed in the decision to remove hosting. As a small streamer, hosting has helped me a lot! I have seen other streamers say the host feature has helped their channel grow. I love hosting other streamers as a way to introduce my community to them when I'm offline. I've discovered many of my favorite streamers through hosting. Getting rid of the /host command would be removing a feature that viewers can use to support a streamer without subscribing, donating, or sending bits. Why would you take this wonderful feature away when it has benefitted so many?
  • MxPraline commented  ·   ·  Report

    Removing hosts is tantamount to killing small streamers. I have seen friends go from small streamers to full time partners SOLELY because hosting helped promote them. Don't take that opportunity away from your users
  • DJBrisk commented  ·   ·  Report

    Please keep hosting available, it is very valuable in terms of exposing streamers to new audiences. I run a stream on Twitch and many of my members have reported new followers through my hosting of their streams when I'm offline. This is important in helping member growth and in turn the platform itself.

  • FraterFive commented  ·   ·  Report

    I have absolutely found small streams that I would never have seen, based on the fact that people I already follow were hosting them. Keep hosting.
  • Czarina911 commented  ·   ·  Report

    Terrible idea to remove hosting. I'm not a streamer, but support and mod quite a number of smaller and larger djs...I've nearly 500 followers and many go to my page to see who is being hosted to check out new streamers or others if they want ideas. Friends told me they do this all the time from my channel and others to find new communities and streamers to support. It's an incredibly useful tool IMO
  • TaylorFan01313 commented  ·   ·  Report

    I agree with this 100%. I'm not a streamer myself, but I host a number of small streamers on my page. I have 100 and some change followers, and a couple of them have told me they found a stream by seeing my host in their feed. KEEP HOSTS!
  • cosmicolt commented  ·   ·  Report

    removing would severely harm smaller creators, site growth might decline as a result which means LESS MONEY. Don’t be dumb

  • drawdehellfire commented  ·   ·  Report

    So instead of hosting an event while offline, streamers will now need to log in, wait for their viewers to show up, and then raid someone else's stream?

    This is stupid.
  • xHadesStamps commented  ·   ·  Report

    It's not like hosts do *nothing,* and even if that were true, there's no point removing it
  • GeekGirlLyssa commented  ·   ·  Report

    How about, instead of getting rid of hosting, you FIX the issues with it? I know, novel idea here. But not everyone is always on their own channel. I am on 5 separate ttrpg actual plays, which means I am on 6 different channels, just on this platform. People who play on other channels should be able to host where they are playing at when they aren't on their own channel. Or, at the very LEAST, let us add proper URLs to our schedules or SOMETHING. ANYTHING. It feels lazy and like you aren't listening to your users when you take away a feature that we ACTUALLY USE on a REGULAR BASIS. You're trying to fix discoverability by taking away one of the few things we actually have for discoverability.
  • anjake01 commented  ·   ·  Report

    The reason you gave for deprecating hosting is completely bassackwards. Just because something is beneficial to creators who don't need it anymore, doesnt mean it isn't for everyone. Not everyone is Ironmouse or Amoranth or Mizkif
  • glubtier380 commented  ·   ·  Report

    As a viewer, I like that I can go to my favorite streamer's page and see whoever is on their autohost, when I don't have any other streams to watch. I've found a lot of great streamers that way.

    I also think a lot about channels like heartsupport, non-profits doing a great thing in the community and using auto-host to fill in the gaps when they don't have their own content to stream. I know I've also seen other charity channels hosting for events so that it's less confusing for viewers without putting the burden on their streamers, and sure there are other ways to do this but hosting is just a very easy way to do it.
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