YouTube has implemented a feature much like the popular Twitch raids, allowing viewers to be sent to a different channel to help other creators grow.
Raids are now a part of Twitch culture, and as such, they are both loved and hated. Initially they were born spontaneously, when some creators encouraged their followers to switch to another creator’s channel; usually the followers invade the channel of the ‘victim’, suddenly increasing their audience.
Raids have helped create some of the greatest moments in Twitch history, and many of its most famous creators have gotten to where they are today thanks to them. They are so popular that Twitch decided to officially implement them, allowing the redirection of the entire audience to another channel. However, raids also have their negative side; on many occasions they are used for malicious purposes, such as with ‘raids de odio’in which small ‘streamers’ who are not capable of reacting to such a flow of new users are attacked.
Whether you like them or not, now YouTube has raids too. They are called “Live Redirects” (direct redirections), and although they are very similar, there are some changes to not make them so annoying and avoid abuse. The operation is the same. When a streamer finishes his show, he can choose another streamer currently broadcasting (or about to start), and the audience will automatically switch from one to the other.
However, that will only be possible if the streamer receiving the audience is subscribed to the streamer who wants to do the ‘raid’; that way, ‘hate raids’ against streamers who have nothing to do with it are avoided. It is also necessary that the streamer receiving the raid has enabled the feature in their YouTube settings, and that their subscriptions are open. On Twitch, on the other hand, raids are active by default, without any type of limitation.
Creators: Live Redirect is here! Help each other grow by redirecting ?? your viewers to other creators’ live streams & Premieres as soon as yours ends.
More on who’s eligible & how we’re giving you control over who redirects to your channel: https://t.co/OnqR2qip9M pic.twitter.com/EibtaWvTtc
TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) May 3, 2022
All of these limitations are intended to limit potential abuse of the feature, but will also make it more difficult to leverage it to promote small channels. It’s a difficult balance, and it remains to be seen whether the culture of YouTube will embrace such practices.
For now, the function will be released today in a ‘premiere’ of the film Top Gun: Maverickand will be available to users with at least 1,000 subscribers and who have not been punished for breaking the community rules.
Twitter
Linkedin
–
–
