Eish! Twitch is facing a serious jol. A new report reveals that millions of hours of watch time are allegedly fake, generated by viewbots. This raises big questions about the platform's authenticity and the value of viewership numbers.
Viewbots vs. Netflix: A Close Call?
According to Stream Charts & Audiencly, suspicious Twitch streams generated over 30 million fake watch hours. That's almost on par with the weekly viewership of a popular Netflix series! Kick, another streaming platform, also clocked in a hefty 20 million fake watch hours.
This comes after Twitch acknowledged a decline in viewership after cracking down on viewbots. They've downplayed claims of a “free fall,” but the numbers suggest a significant problem.
How Does Viewbotting Work?
Viewbotting involves using bots to artificially inflate viewership numbers. Content creators might do this to boost their visibility and attract real viewers. But it's a dodgy practice that undermines the integrity of the platform.
- Fake Engagement: Viewbots don't interact with the content, leading to a skewed view of audience engagement.
- Misleading Advertisers: Inflated numbers can mislead advertisers about the true reach of a channel.
- Unfair Competition: Viewbotting gives an unfair advantage to creators who use them.
What's Twitch Doing About It?
Twitch claims to be working on improved viewbot detection tools. They've also disputed some of the data from third-party sources. However, the sheer scale of the problem suggests that more needs to be done to combat viewbotting and ensure a fair and transparent platform for creators and viewers alike. It's going to be a long sokkie to sort this out, ya.