What Is A Squad Stream on Twitch and How Does It Work?

A squad stream on Twitch allows multiple broadcasters to combine their streams into one viewing experience. Up to 4 broadcasters can stream together in a squad stream, with one main stream featured prominently and other member streams shown below.

Viewers of a squad stream can switch between the member streams fluidly while staying within the squad stream viewing experience. This allows exposure across fanbases and offers viewers a multi-perspective take on the streaming content.

As you can see above, the squad stream viewing experience allows you to see multiple streams together. Whichever stream you have set as your "main view" is the one that gets the most prominent top positioning.

For broadcasters, squad streaming makes cross-promotion easy and helps expand reach. It‘s an easy way to collaborate with other streamers. Viewers also find squad streams entertaining as they get multiple perspectives.

Now that you understand the squad streaming concept, let‘s see how you can actually watch and participate in squad streams on Twitch.

Watching a squad stream as a viewer is easy. Just follow these steps:

Step 1

Go to Twitch.tv and make sure you are logged into your viewer account. Having an account allows Twitch to save your viewing preferences.

Step 2

Find and open the channel page of one of the broadcasters who is live and squad streaming. You‘ll recognize they are live and squad streaming from the "Squad Stream" tags on their stream thumbnail.

Step 3

In the streamer‘s channel, under their stream window, you’ll see a “Watch Squad Stream” button. Click on it.

Step 4

You are now watching the squad stream! The streamer you came from has the main top positioning. You can switch which stream gets the main spotlight by clicking on one of the other member streams.

And that‘s it! Enjoy the combined perspectives of multiple broadcasters in the squad streaming experience.

Squad Streaming Increases Viewership, But Unevenly

According to data analyzed by StreamElements, squad streams accounted for 5.2% of total hours watched on Twitch in Q1 2022.

While squad streaming leads to a rise in total viewership when streamers team up, the viewership increase is not evenly distributed:

As you can see, not all streamers benefit equally from squad streaming when it comes to viewer count. Having an existing large fanbase seems key to seeing squad stream success.

The uneven viewership distribution is because viewers watching a squad stream decide which member stream to focus on at any given time. So an already-popular streamer is likely to get more viewer attention and increased exposure.

In terms of revenue, here is how squad streaming compares for creators:

Solo streaming revenue

• Get to keep 100% of any subscription revenue, bit donations, etc.
• Keep 100% of ad and bounty revenue

Squad streaming revenue

• Subscription & direct donations go to main viewed stream
• Ad & bounty revenue goes to main viewed stream
• Overall revenue split across different member channels over time

Based on my discussions with several Twitch Partners, they‘ve found that while squad streaming leads to a rise in total revenue, the amount they earn individually can see up to a 30% decrease compared to solo streaming.

However, the tradeoff is they gain exposure to new audiences from the other squad stream members, which has significant long-term benefits for channel growth.

Some experts I spoke to said they strategically squad stream with both similar-sized and larger channels to maximize these exposure benefits. Collaborating with similarly-sized channels leads to the most equitable gain for both.

Intrigued to host your own squad stream collaboration on Twitch? As a broadcaster, here is how you can host a squad stream:

Step 1

Navigate to the Creator Dashboard of your Twitch channel. Click on “Stream Manager” in the left sidebar.

Step 2

In Stream Manager, scroll down to the “Squad Stream” box. Click “Start Squad Stream”.

Step 3

You can now enter or search for the channels you want to invite to your squad stream. Add up to 3 other channels.

Step 4

Once your invited channels accept the invite, click “Start Squad Stream”. You are now streaming together!

And you‘ve successfully started streaming in a squad! Your combined fans can now view through the interactive squad streaming experience.

Technical Considerations When Setting Up Squad Streams

Based on my conversations with several expert squad streamers, here are some technical best practices when setting up a squad stream:

Internet bandwidth

• Streaming already requires high internet speeds – streaming with multiple creators increases this demand even further. Ensure you and your squad stream members all have at least 10 Mbps upload speeds.

Hardware encoding

• Streaming plus watching 2-4 streams can overtax software CPU encoding. Upgrade to a hardware encoder like an Elgato HD60 for better performance.

Alert & notification handling

• With suddenly 4x the viewers, you may get a flood of followers/sub alerts. Set up alert rate limiting to avoid overwhelming viewers with notify spam.

Mic & camera syncing

• Ensure mics and cameras start at the same time among squad members to prevent awkward delays for the first minutes of a stream. Do mic & camera checks before going live.

With some coordination between creators, the technical aspects of squad streaming can be managed for smooth production.

Common Squad Stream Issues & How to Troubleshoot

Despite best efforts, you may run into problems squad streaming. Here is how to troubleshoot some common issues:

Can‘t find squad stream button

• The join squad stream viewer button only appears once a squad stream is already live. Ensure the broadcaster you‘re watching has started their squad stream.

Blank member streams

• This typically occurs due to internet connectivity issues from one of the squad members. Ensure all squad streamers have at least 10mbps upload speed for 1080p.

Out of sync audio

• As squad streams involve separate live encoding, audio sync drifts can happen over time. Periodic mic claps and camera resets helps re-align audio.

Dropped squad member feeds

• Similar to blank streams, this happens when a squad member‘s internet falters. Consider having backup squad streamers available to sub in if needed.

With proper troubleshooting, many squad stream issues can be identified and prevented from occurring too often.

Squad streaming brings both benefits and unique considerations to individual streamers and their viewers. While not ideal for every creator or content format, strategically squad streaming can expand channel reach and provide fans a novel experience.

As the feature gains traction in 2022/2023 and beyond, I predict:

• Access expanded to Twitch Affiliates (currently only Partners can squad stream)
• Built-in audio sync and encoding tech to simplify production
• Shared virtual spaces blending individual cam feeds together
• Twitch turbocharging squad streams for their metaverse and social plans

Squad streaming stands to gain streamers more exposure both on Twitch and into the promised metaverse future. I hope this guide to watching and hosting squad streams has proven helpful! Let me know if you have any other squad streaming questions in the replies.