Even though a recent leaked video suggested some morale problems at Mixer, Microsoft’s video streaming platform is pushing forward with some exciting announcements today. According to the team, the new features announced today have been inspired by user feedback, starting with a revamped Mixer homepage on all platforms.
The top carousel has been replaced with a Featured section that will now show five streamers at the same time. The Partner Spotlight and Top Categories section will remain below the Featured section, but underneath you’ll now find new content rows that will be updated dynamically. “The rows will be a mix of AI-powered personalized recommendations and editorially programmed content, ensuring you can discover and join even more communities across Mixer,” the team explained.
Mixer viewers will also notice new badges for Mixer partner channels on the Home page. The team is also rolling out higher-quality emotes that now use 28 pixels across all platforms, as well as a new notification bell next to the follow button that will let you choose whether you want to be notified when a channel you follow goes live.
For Xbox users, Mixer is continuing to improve the native viewing experience that will soon replace the dedicated Mixer app. In the upcoming April Xbox One system update, you’ll notice that emotes and subscriber badging are now supported in chat. For mobile users, the team also announced today that clip creation should now be available for more users watching Partner and Verified channels.
Last but not least, there are two big changes for streamers: Auto-Hosting is now available for all offline channels, with the ability to create Auto-host lists with custom duration settings. Moreover, after beta testing pre-roll ads with Partners, Mixer is introducing today an Ad-Break beta program. By giving partners the ability to run ads during their streams, Mixer is slowly but surely giving them more ways to monetize their content on the platform.
“There’s much more coming, and we’re excited to share details soon,” the Mixer team said today. Microsoft has yet to reveal what role Mixer will play in the rollout of Project xCloud and Xbox Series X, but it will be interesting to see if both platforms can boost Mixer usage in some way or another.
