Twitch introduces "shoutout", a new way to follow other streamers on the platform

Twitch has introduced a new feature that will allow creators to "shoutout" users from chat without any assistance from external bots. This feature was brought to light earlier today after Twitch Support's official Twitter page announced its inclusion in their already eclectic collection of features. In addition, they have also announced that the "shoutout" feature will be rolled out today itself.

For those unaware, the shoutout allows creators to highlight specific chat users/followers and "share the love." To enable this feature, creators/mods need to type the command "/shoutout" onto the chat section followed by the name of the fan. Upon doing so, the name will pop up at the top of the chat box for the rest of the viewers.

Who can use the "shoutout" feature on Twitch?

As of now, only creators/broadcasters and their mods can enjoy using the feature. This has been done to avoid spamming by other users in the chat. However, it should be noted that broadcasters can also deploy external bots to further modify the feature. One use of mods can be to generate auto shoutouts so that streamers can avoid manually typing in the command themselves.

As mentioned earlier, once the command is registered, a pop-up box will appear at the top of the chat section. Viewers can use the drop-down signal to further see who has received the special mention. From there, viewers can then directly follow the highlighted users or read their upcoming stream schedule (if any).

How have fans reacted to the feature?

The brand new feature has been largely well received so far. However, there remains a section of fans who have expressed their reservations. News of the update was shared on the popular subreddit r/Twitch, which has garnered a lot of comments.

Some fans have remained skeptical about the feature. These users appear to scrutinize Twitch, possibly allowing clips to be added to the "share the love" feature. Here's what fans had to say:

This Redditor believes that the Amazon-owned platform should allow for more customizations to the newly added feature:

The "share the love" feature was not the only modification introduced by the purple platform this week. Yesterday, Twitch Support's official Twitter handle also revealed that broadcasters will now be able to customize raid criteria such as delegating maximum/minimum viewer thresholds and the nature of the viewer entrusted with raiding (such as affiliates, partnered channels, followers, etc.).

About the author

Shreyan is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda, focusing on streamer content. He holds a Master's degree in English Literature, and journalism was the most logical next step for him. Although titles like FIFA 08 and GTA San Andreas acted as the catalyst for his love of video games, the exponential growth of the streaming community also propelled his interest in the genre. He also has a prior work experience of 2 years.

Shreyan considers factual and accurate content to be the most important as a creator and a reader. He ensures this by double checking every piece of information in his articles and sourcing it from streamers directly rather than depend on third parties. His works have caught the attention of the heavyweights, with the PR team of Sidemen (a YouTube group he’s been following since his teenage days) and Chess.com reaching out to him for sending exclusive press releases.

Shreyan would love to drop into the virtual world of FIFA/EA FC and explore it further but, he would recommend playing Red Dead Redemption 2 to gaming skeptics for its top-tier gameplay, story and characters. During his downtime, he enjoys balancing his interests in reading, watching films and sports, and of course, playing video games.

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