Twitch Is Experimenting With Guest Stars, Channel Surfing, Shared Bans

pcmag.com:

Twitch is currently experimenting with a couple of features that, at least in theory, would make it easier for viewers and streamers alike to have a positive experience on the streaming platform.

The first feature is called Guest Star. It's supposed to make it easier for streamers to bring other people—whether they're viewers or fellow content creators—into their livestreams.

The second feature is called Channel Switcher. Twitch announced the experiment, which allows viewers to preview streams without navigating to the site's homepage, in a June 30 tweet:

Twitch told The Verge(Opens in a new window) that "only a small percentage of users who are logged in" have access to Channel Switcher. The company also clarified that Channel Switcher would allow viewers to watch up to a minute of a given stream without being interrupted by advertisements.

The third feature is tentatively known as "shared bans." It too was revealed on June 30, but instead of being showcased by Twitch itself, the feature was spotted by Zach Bussey:

The idea behind shared bans seems fairly straightforward. Instead of requiring streamers to ban known trolls from their chats on an ad hoc basis, like the current system does, the new shared ban lists would allow streamers to block abusive viewers from their channels en masse.

These features could help make Twitch more enjoyable to use. Guest Star could make streams more interactive, Channel Switcher might help address the problem of what people should watch if their favorite streamers are offline, and shared bans may allow those streamers to make their chats a more enjoyable place for people to hang out without having to worry about known trolls.

Twitch says that Guest Star will be available to some