Trovo Out Of Beta Issues

This video discusses the ongoing issues and challenges faced by the streaming platform Trovo, particularly since it came out of beta (24:53). The host, Josh, highlights several key problems and offers his perspective on the platform's current state and future.

Main Issues Discussed:

• Treasure Box System Abuse: The "treasure box" system, designed to reward viewers, has become a point of contention (1:36). It's described as an incentive for viewers to watch streams, spin mana, or follow channels to win rewards like mana or elixirs (comparable to Twitch's bits) (1:39-2:31). However, many perceive it as a "pay-to-win" scheme (2:35) where streamers, or even bots, exploit the system to gain followers and viewers (7:51). This leads to a cycle of "box farming" by bots that then funnel the winnings back to streamers in a form of "money laundering" (9:08-9:55).

• Streamer Burnout and Unrealistic Expectations: The grind for the Trovo 500 program (a monetary reward system based on viewing hours) (3:53) encourages streamers to work excessively long hours (10+ hours a day, 7 days a week), leading to burnout and health issues (3:04-3:36, 10:00-10:22). Many new streamers on Trovo have unrealistic expectations of becoming full-time streamers and earning large incomes, comparable to top Twitch streamers, which is not currently feasible due to Trovo's smaller viewership and market size (17:39-18:12, 23:37-24:46).

• Trovo 500 Program Fairness: The Trovo 500 program is tiered (Bronze, Gold, Platinum, etc.), with Bronze having a $50,000 reward split among all eligible streamers (4:43-5:18). Streamers are complaining about lower payouts, which is simply due to more people entering the bronze tier, thus splitting the reward among a larger group (6:04-7:12).

• Bot Accounts and Verification: A significant problem is the presence of bot accounts that participate in discovery boxes, winning and funneling funds to other streamers (20:42-21:11). Trovo is trying to address this delicately to avoid creating barriers for new users, unlike Mixer's past issues with mandatory Microsoft accounts (21:11-22:20). Trovo has implemented verification steps, such as CAPTCHAs, to combat bots (22:50-23:29).

• Market Share and Viewership: Trovo's market is predominantly outside North America, with less than 10% of its audience being North American (15:23-15:47). The platform is much smaller than Twitch in terms of viewership, making it difficult for new streamers to gain a large audience without bringing in an existing community from other platforms (15:55-18:19).

Trovo's Response and Future: Trovo acknowledges these issues and plans to implement changes monthly, starting February 1st, to create a fairer environment for everyone (12:16-13:06, 30:29-30:46).

Advice for Streamers: The speaker encourages streamers, especially those with fewer than 20 viewers on other platforms, to try Trovo (28:03-28:12). He highlights that Trovo offers easier monetization, requiring only 8 hours of streaming, 5 days, and 20 followers in a 30-day period to unlock a "sub" button (28:26-28:42). Community boxes are recommended over discovery boxes as they reward loyal viewers (18:41-19:15).