“I think there’s a lot of positivity around Twitch right now.”
However, Twitch did follow up to emphasise the importance of safety on the platform.
“These tools, in addition to our ongoing, 24/7 content moderation, help prevent harassment on Twitch.
We continue to build on this work.”
But what exactly is Twitch’s future?
For both execs, the key word was sustainability.
“We definitely are intending to be around for many years,” said Forrester.
We want to be in a position where we can continue supporting creators for the longest time."
“We’re constantly evolving,” said Eskilsson.
The recentDiscovery filters around content classification labelsare also a way for viewers to safely control content.
That’s the worst feeling."
Said Eskilsson: “Streamer safety is top of mind for me.
That relationship has sometimes been called into question.
I do think it’s been paying off.”
Eskilsson also noted the roundtables and different forums at TwitchCon and online in which the platform is gathering feedback.
“Our intent is to keep building things with the community.
It’s not something we want to do in a silo.
And being transparent as part of conversations is key there.”
Perhaps one way for Twitch to grow and maintain sustainability is through non-gaming content.
Gaming streams are most prominent on the platform, but Just Chatting is continually the most-used tag.
“So we definitely think there’s still a lot of opportunity in growing gaming as a vertical.”
He continued: “Gaming creators have a thing to do, that’s at the heart of it.
There’s always a rhythm to keep your content fresh.
For non-gaming creators, we believe collaboration is a really big arc to help them continue to grow.”
It all comes back to that mission statement, enabling streamers to grow and be part of a community.
But how is Twitch helping smaller streamers develop?
Both Forrester and Eskilsson state consistency is the biggest driver for growth.
“Kai has put in a significant amount of hours to get where he is,” said Eskilsson.
Forrester also advised consistency with regular stream schedules to give viewers a heads up on when streamers are live.
He also noted how streamers are getting more creative to engage the community and ensure streams are unique.
As for Twitch, the Discovery Feed and new mobile app will aid with discoverability for smaller streamers.
“That makes it really hard for us to actually direct traffic.
“With products like the feed, we are going to have more control to hopefully grow smaller creators.
And if we find someone who’s getting success, how do we make them grow faster?
Historically, it’s been hard for us to do that.”
“I personally feel very confident about where we are right now,” surmised Forrester.
“It’s rare that you find a business where all of the parts are really tightly coupled.
And we’re all focused in the same direction.”
