Twitch have launched a feature in their app which is basically TikTok. Their CEO recently tried to demonstrate the new feature, but his feed kept sending him clips from hot tub streamers. Embarrassed, all he could do was awkwardly move on. Bloody algorithms!
Twitch have been struggling for years to become profitable. Running the platform is exorbitantly expensive, and with Kick now in the picture, their biggest creators can effectively hold them to ransom.
One possible solution has recently presented itself, however: Copy TikTok. Short-form content is clearly on the rise, and Twitch already have a lot of great creators who could give them a kick-start, which is why they are trialing a TikTok-like feature on their app.
But as a recent demonstration of Twitch's TikTok showed, they clearly still lack a diversity of content...
Twitch Launch Their Own Version Of TikTok, Immediately Saturated With Mature Content
Twitch have just launched their own version of TikTok, or rather a new feature within the Twitch app that functions exactly as TikTok does. You can scroll vertically through endless clips and livestreams, which is perfect for a modern audience with a worryingly short attention span.
But when Twitch CEO Dan Clancy tried to demonstrate the technology during the announcement, he was embarrassed by the kind of content Twitch's version of TikTok was providing. Long story short, the algorithm betrayed him.
As Clancy showed viewers how the new feature worked, he was bombarded by a certain type of content...
Given that Twitch is dominated by mature content, from hot tub streams to "cosplay", this should come as no surprise. And to be honest, all power to the gals and guys making money from the platform in this way. But at some point, Twitch really need to decide whether they want to be the platform for younger viewers, or a platform for lonely viewers.
Will you be using this new feature on the Twitch app, or are you trying to avoid ruining your attention span even more?