Hosting is a popular way for Twitch users and streamers alike in broadcasting live streams of other channels to their own audiences.
It is usually done as a way of helping promote other freelancer Twitch users and their channels but also works as an effective strategy in keeping a channel active while an owner isn’t broadcasting their own content.
How to host on Twitch? A simple answer to a simple question. The answer is as under.
How users can start hosting another streamer?
There are three ways twitch users can host another streamer and they are:
- Through chat.
- Through Twitch’s app.
- Through auto-host.
Hosting other twitch users by chat
To start hosting another channel, Twitch users must simply enter the command ‘/host’ into their own channel’s chat followed by the target channel’s username.
For instance, in order to host the official PAX Twitch channel, users would enter ‘/host pax’ and for official MLS channel on PAX, they would type ‘/host MLS.’
The hosted channel can be changed up to three times every 30 minutes.
To turn off the hosting, Twitch users must simply type the command ‘/un host’ in the chat bar.
Hosting through the Twitch App
Hosting can also be activated on the Twitch App on both Android and iOS.
This is done by tapping on the gear icon on the selected channel and choosing the host option from the drop-down menu.
Hosting through the auto-host feature
One of the most common ways of hosting a channel is using the auto-host feature.
This is done through adding a variety of channels to a list the channel will automatically select from when users go offline.
The auto-host feature can choose channels on the list randomly or through their order (which can be customized).
Setting up auto hosting is easy. Users can go to their twitch channel settings, turn on auto host, and then add as much Twitch channels to the host list as much as the user wants.
The benefits Twitch users get by hosting another channel
Twitch users must know that hosting another user’s stream is fully optional.
There are no hosting requirements to be an active member of the Twitch community. However, there are many reasons for hosting is a good idea.
It helps in promotion
Apart from showing their audiences what sort of streamers a user finds enjoyable; hosting offers a channel promotional opportunity for your channel.
How much promotional value a user can get is dependent on the layout of the target channel, whether it displays the name of the hosts on the screen or not & if the streamer mentions the host verbally.
Users being hosts for another channel will also keep their account displayed prominently within the live host’s category of both Twitch’s app and site.
This can hence lead to new users discovering their accounts and potentially following them.
It helps in turning off a stream
Through hosting another channel, users can find an easy way of ending their own stream.
Most twitch users manually begin hosting someone else as soon as they end their broadcast.
This often encourages a channel’s followers to move over to the hosted channel.
This is referred to as ‘raiding’ and is a common practice among Twitch users.
Disadvantages of hosting another channel on Twitch
Despite the benefits hosting has on Twitch, there are many reasons why many users choose not to host other users on Twitch.
It makes communication less prominent with the audience
When users are hosting another Twitch channel, if there is any away message, they made for their channel then it will be hidden.
It will then be replaced with the broadcast video being hosted. Users will then need to post messages to their regular audience members somewhere else on their profiles in a least-prominent position.
The content posted might not match
Hosted channels are selected only by the user, and no one else.
This turns into a problem when the channel plays something that is a bad match, like a family-friendly audience watching something that is not suitable for them or a soccer game being played in front of racing car enthusiasts. Hosting entrusts a channel’s content to someone else.
