Betting On Twitch

Twitch has unveiled Predictions, a feature meant to help creators spur engagement. Viewers will be allowed to wager Channel Points — an existing points program on the platform — on specific outcomes during streams, winning a proportionate amount for guessing correctly. 

Predictions could range from betting on how long it will take for a streamer to accomplish a task in-game to when they will finish a meal. Channel Points can be earned through watching and subscribing to channels and used to unlock rewards, like highlighting their text in chat or making a host dance.

Amazon’s livestreaming platform likely hopes the new engagement tool — currently available on 50% of channels — can help continue its lead against competitors like YouTube and Facebook Gaming. More than 4.8 billion hours were watched on Twitch in the third quarter, representing 63.6% of the market.