So I'm no expert in this sort of thing, so don't crucify me if there's any big problems with the idea but.

Would there be any scope in making channel points more valuable, so that you could spend them on actual things - perhaps even a twitch browser shop where you could buy various cosmetics to enhance your name or badges, emotes too, or directly support your favourite streamers by buying products they offer with channel points too.

I see this as having benefits for all parties, that's streamers, twitch and viewers too.

Streamers would have more concurrent viewers because people would be grinding channel points, twitch could take a cut from any items sold in the shop via channel points, and viewers would get cool items or cosmetics as a reward for their dedicated viewing.

As an avid user of twitch I get quite addicted to watching my channel points go up as I invest time into hanging out on my favourite streams.

I would have thought you'd have to limit predictions in some way as that can massive inflate people's points, or dump them, so there would be ways to abuse that if you wanted to. A reset, or a "fresh start" of channel points would also probably be needed if you wanted to participate in the system, you could just have it as a setting on a twitch user's profile such as "display all time channel points / v.2 channel points). I've specified that part because I'm sure a lot of people are proud of their current channel points and wouldn't want to see them wiped. Without the new era of channel points people, or day I say, bots that had already accumulated thousands of channel points over the years could dominate the shop with purchases.

For this to actually have a monetary value would it be possible to make channel points a crypto currency? You could grind a small amount by watching, but by predictions and spending your own money in the shop you could boost your points if you wanted too. I really don't know enough about crypto to speculate further about that, but just an idea. I'm sure twitch could have advertisements on the shop too.

Anyway, thanks for reading, all feedback is welcome.