From YouTube Shorts to Instagram Reels, it feels like all the major platforms are entering their TikTok era. The latest one? Twitch. As announced in a new blog post, the streaming platform has TikTokifed its mobile app.
Thanks to this new update, the app will open directly onto the Discovery feed, which, in layman’s terms, is basically Twitch’s answer to an algorithmic “For You” recommendation page.
Previously, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy made it clear that he wants to make Twitch’s Discovery feed the “new landing experience in the app,” and now it looks like he has made good on that promise.
Why is Twitch revamping its mobile app?
According to Twitch, 50% of its users “primarily” use the app on their phones, while an additional 40% use Twitch on their phones exclusively. Furthermore, the streaming giant claims that almost three-quarters of new Twitch users watch streamers for the first time on mobile.
“We need to make it easier for these viewers to find content when they visit Twitch and make the experience more fun so that they come back more often,” Twitch said in a blog post. “This allows streamers to maintain their connection with their existing community while also finding new viewers through shorter, more frequent interactions.”
With two rounds of layoffs still fresh in our memory, it’s no secret that Twitch has struggled in the past year. A new Wall Street Journal article also alludes to further financial trouble for the company, with internal documents purporting to show that the company only made $1 billion in profit.
Yes, that might seem like a lot, but as the WSJ points out, the company is actually losing money. Perhaps, this new revamp is what Twitch imagines to be the key to clawing back into profitability.
