Twitch has always had a shady side, and that has never changed. After breaking its silence on hate raids, the platform decided to take action against two of the perpetrators by filing lawsuits. Many Twitch users, however, felt that the effort was too little, too late. Twitch has now decided to make another step that appears to contradict all of its users’ efforts to develop their channels: paid boosts.
Twitch said in its “Patch Notes” program on September 30th that it would be testing additional sponsored enhancements soon. Viewers would be able to “directly purchase boosts for their favorite creators,” perhaps moving them up the Twitch browsing page.
Twitch’s product manager, Jacob Rosok, revealed that once viewers buy boosts, Twitch will: “start recommending the creator on the front page of Twitch with all of the recommendations that have been purchased by the community. The more you purchase, the more exposure the creator will receive.” To put it another way, some creators on Twitch’s first page will only be there because viewers paid for it, not because of organic development.
When questioned why the boosts should be paid rather than free, Rosok explained that it’s difficult for creators to properly use social media to develop their platforms, and that paid boosts provide a tangible opportunity for viewers to directly support and promote their favorite streams.
The stream’s conversation instantly started shouting things like “pay to win!” and “gross,” indicating the type of response Twitch will face soon.
Many Twitch users stated that the new boost feature was a “pay to win” plan that would hurt smaller streamers who were seeking to expand their channels. While some people claimed they’d gladly spend a few bucks to support their favorite streamer, others pointed out that even somewhat larger streamers would benefit, propelling them to the top of Twitch’s home page.
Twitch’s move to sponsored boosts, according to one Twitter user, appears to be a “cash grab” by Twitch, which already gets half of the money streamers make from paid subs.
Streamers were generally suspicious of the paid boost, and several expected that it would have disastrous implications for lesser streamers seeking to break into the major leagues. Captain Sauce, a YouTuber with over 2 million subscribers, tweeted; “This is hands down the grossest thing I’ve seen any new-media platform do.”