Twitch revealed this week during TwitchCon plans to add two new features that should look pretty familiar to those who frequent TikTok, Instagram, and pretty much any other social media platform. One of those new features is a Discovery Feed that’ll allow users to scroll through clips and other bits of content that may introduce them to streamers they wouldn’t have otherwise seen, and the other feature is a Stories format that’ll let streamers get content to their followers even when they’re not live. Both of these features will be implemented at some point during Fall 2023.
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If you weren’t tuned into the TwitchCon Paris keynote where these new features were discussed, Twitch has you covered with a follow-up blog post that goes into detail on Stories and Discovery Feeds. But again, if you’ve used social media elsewhere, there’s not a great deal that needs explaining. Stories will be found in the “Following” page within the Twitch app and can be viewed for as long as they’re up similar to what we’ve seen from Facebook and Instagram.
“The stories format is well understood – ephemeral clips, pictures, text updates, polls,” the recap said. “What’s exciting about Twitch stories is your ability to reach all your Twitch followers or to share with subscribers only. Viewers will be able to see your stories, along with stories from all streamers they follow, on the Following page in the Twitch mobile app.”
Discovery Feeds are closer aligned with what you see on TikTok – content and content as far as you can scroll. Twitch Clips will be the fuel for this new content engine, but Twitch says the goal for this feature is to help people discover new streamers as opposed to them mindlessly flipping through content for hours.
“The Discovery Feed will be a scrollable feed in the Twitch app that shows users a personalized mix of Clips,” Twitch said. “Once this feed is rolled out, Twitch viewers will be able to discover Clips from tons of streamers’ channels, whether they’re live or not. Because Twitch is all about live, interactive channels, it’s not our goal for viewers to spend hours in a Clips feed. Our investment in Clips is to help viewers discover your channel so they join you and your community when you stream.”
Speaking of TikTok, Twitch also said it’s going to be making it easier to share Clips quickly and efficiently to TikTok. Some progress on that was made months ago, but later this year, people will be able to export Clips straight to TikTok.
Stories will be added in October, Discovery Feeds in the fall, and TikTok exporting in August, so expect to see more on these features between now and the times they’re released.
