Twitch is constantly growing and changing for a variety of reasons. Last year, Twitch added a variety of new tools that allowed streamers to better control who could type in their chat, which has proven useful for streamers in the battle against hate raids. Recently, Twitch also announced that it intended to rework the tools with which users file reports or appeal bans, with the intention of streamlining both processes while providing more visibility. Aside from these moderation features, however, Twitch is also working to help streamers grow. It's currently experimenting with a new way of boosting Twitch channels called the Boost Train.

The Boost Train's concept is simple: if players trigger a Hype Train by subscribing and donating to a small streamer, then there's a chance that they'll unlock a boost, which recommends the streamer's channel to other Twitch users. This isn't the first time that Twitch has tried a channel boosting function, and it's certainly an improvement on its predecessor, but it may not be as useful as many streamers would like. Tying boosts to Hype Trains could make the function inaccessible for the channels that need the publicity most, meaning Twitch may be forced to look for another channel boosting mechanic soon enough.

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The Problem With Twitch's Boost Train

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There's no doubt that the Boost Train is better than Twitch's original boost system. Previously, Twitch viewers had to pay Twitch directly in order to boost their favorite streamer's visibility; in other words, viewers had to buy advertising from Twitch directly. The function received heavy criticism from Twitch streamers and quickly faded into obscurity. Boost Train puts money in the streamer's pockets instead, since it's just an additional benefit from Hype Trains, but unfortunately, the monetization element could keep Boost Trains out of the hands of streamers who need it the most.

Twitch's Hype Trains aren't always easy to complete. The strength of a Boost train is dependent on how much money viewers invest in a Hype Train and how high the streamer sets their Hype Train goals, meaning viewers need to spend a lot of money in order to earn a significant amount of channel visibility. Small Twitch Affiliate streamers who are only just starting their journey towards Partner need Boost Trains the most, but odds are low that they'll have the kind of income from viewers to earn Boost Trains consistently. Streamers who already hover around the Twitch requirements for Partner seem like they'll benefit the most from Boost Trains, even though they don't particularly need them. All in all, the feature's utility seems limited.

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Improving the Boost Train

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The impact that Boost Trains have on small channels will likely be defined by how Twitch manages the feature. Ideally, it'll tweak Boost Train numbers in some way that allows small Twitch streamers to get high-level benefits more easily, increasing their odds of finding new viewers. As Twitch continues to test the Boost Train feature, it also needs to ensure that plenty of the smallest streams possible are getting access to the feature so that Twitch ends up with a broad understanding of how Boost Train impacts various levels of its streaming community, rather than focusing on wherever Boost Train works best.

Boost Train will likely always be imperfect, since it's tied to monetization, but it's unlikely that Twitch will ever change that. Boosting every channel possible for free would likely cause some logistical issues for the streaming platform. Still, Twitch prospers when small channels grow to become major presences on the platform. Boost Train needs to be as accessible as possible to the smallest streamers so that they can grow into major streaming personalities. Twitch turns a profit whenever a new streamer rises to stardom, after all, so it has good reason to help small channels reach their true potential however it can.

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