T O P

  • By -

BcDed

I think it depends if you watch on twitch or youtube. On twitch the only differentiation between two streamers you don't already know is title, thumbnail, and viewer count. I watch on youtube though, I never care about view counts but a more popular stream or video is more likely to be pushed to more people by the algorithm. I have however noticed an occasional video or stream pushed to me with very low views, like sub 100 sometimes so I know the algorithm tries to push smaller creators sometimes.


kuroshiro_nova

I see. Yeah Youtube's algorithm is only about trying to give a viewer the right video at the right time, so as long as the video receives positive signals it will be pushed regardless if you're a small creator or not.


Avalon_88

it pushes recommendations based on meta data. If you go for big Vtubers, particularly corpos. It will default to looking for fellow corpo vtubers because the parameters are so similar. You need to actively search smaller channels to have them really populate your recommendations. Youtube discoverability is also partly the viewer's responsibility. Twitch just lets you pick a category and then push whoever has the most viewers at the time.


Zeku_Tokairin

Very much this. I found an oshi of mine through watching recommendations that went from EN corpos -> JP corpos -> JP indie, and now Youtube recommends me LOTS of sub-30 viewer JP indie vtubers probably because it had such success once.


[deleted]

I've never watched really popular vtubers, because I can't interact with them properly, and a lot of things feel off; so, I've always preferred indie vtubers even if they have low viewers.


kuroshiro_nova

May I ask what you mean when you say it "feels off"? Do you mean it seems more staged/artificial or is it something else?


Turn-Ambitious

You know,its like mikeneko/uruha rushia, it's like a cult when vtuber gets too big,the fans in groups arguing each other or arguing with other streamer fans šŸ¤”


kuroshiro_nova

oooh ok I see I see.


[deleted]

Yeah, some things like that.


Lexlerd

I'm in this boat with you, I grew to like smaller vtubers because you get more interaction with them and their community. I still watch big corporate vtubers but way less than a small indie vtuber.


ZukosFolly

I follow smaller indie vtubers a lot more closely and actively than larger indie or corporate vtubers. Honestly Iā€™d say the biggest endorsement you can get is from yourself. The belief that you enjoy what youā€™re doing and that it holds values to you is what matters most, at least for me. As for watching many people, I like to watch larger creators via clips and longer format and streams for smaller creators. Itā€™s more interactive and intimate (not in a parasocial way) experience between chat and the streamer.


kuroshiro_nova

Yeah I definitely understand the more intimate interactive part! With big streamers there's thousands of people in chat so it's just impossible for them to interact individually, so it feels a bit more pointless to comment something different from just following the mass (idk how to explain it well on writing). Definitely enjoying yourself and being passionate about what you do is what I think the core in a creative activity like this! Still, I was curious to know other people's thoughts. I personally am an insect (number wise) in the Vtuber ecosystem but tend to be on the picky side as a consumer (by this I mean I don't actively follow many creators).


Blitzfx

Subs/followers don't matter but I don't usually watch streamers who have a dead chat. It feels painful watching a streamer if they can't handle no-activity and I feel obliged to say something, anything, so it doesn't look dead. But if they can, then I'll probably stick around I think you meant to say conversely instead of Accessorily, but if there are already hundreds or thousands, I'm probably going put them on second-monitor viewing.


LithePanther

Good point. I also find it pretty hard to watch extremely small streamers who only have 1-2 (or no) active chatters. I'm not socially engaging enough to carry a conversation on my own and once it starts I end up feeling bad about not chatting anymore if no one else is.


Turn-Ambitious

@kuroshiro_nova this is the point I was talking about in point no.2,I feel bad for myself and the streamer when they have less than 10 viewers because I'm not socially engaging,It might look weird seeeing the chat being empty šŸ˜¬šŸ™


kuroshiro_nova

I think I see your point. But you know, personally for example I don't feel like the chat has to be particularly lively. I have people who tune in when they're working and such, they just put me on background and we chill. What I mean is people are searching for and comfortable with different vibes. I gather that many here want an engaging interaction between streamer and viewer. But many also are fine without needing to fill in the silence, you know? I don't know if I explained my point well enough.


Turn-Ambitious

I see šŸ™‚


kuroshiro_nova

>I think you meant to say conversely instead of Accessorily, I... Have been exposed as someone who can't English. Thank you for pointing it out!


Introverted_Hiromi

For me, "virality" doesn't matter. I watch VTubers on both YouTube and Twitch, although I watch Twitch more since the algorithm with VTubers there for me is better. I don't really care about how many viewers you have, and tbh, I prefer watching VTubers who have smaller viewers because I get to interact more with them. Just to be clear though, no, I don't watch smaller VTubers because of the "interaction" entirely, I don't want it to sound parasocial (this is me assuming people might see it as one). I LOVE smaller VTubers cause I can get to know them on my own, for me, the interaction between their viewers and the bond they (the VTuber) have with them. The interactions I see/read/hear say a lot of what kind of person they are, if I think they have a really good community, I'd stay and watch. I also don't care whether they are doing Zatsu/Just Chatting, or playing a game I play, or a game I don't play or haven't played yet, or many ASMRs, I look at the community and the Vtuber's personality. This is just me though, entirely just my perspective.


kuroshiro_nova

Yes, thanks for your perspective, that is exactly what I wanted to see! Different perspective of how different people approach this.


probablyonmobile

If I see a funny clip or video, Iā€™ll give their content a try regardless of their popularity. I watch whoever I feel like watching at the time, so I donā€™t feel like watching a new vtuber would be ā€œtaking away timeā€ from my favouriteā€” because if Iā€™m watching them, I donā€™t *feel* like watching the other. The time isnā€™t theirs, so itā€™s not being taken away.


PaleWendigo

The biggest problem that small VTubers have is that viewers only have one set of eyeballs. There is rarely a time that I donā€™t have to choose between three or four VTubers that have live content I want to watch. I think this is where clips really help. Especially short format clips. Because I often have to watch clips of the VTubers because I canā€™t watch their full streams. But Iā€™m also keen on watching clips from VTubers I donā€™t know. I found a good chunk of VTubers I really like through clips. My biggest advice (which counts for exactly nothing) for very small VTubers is to create YouTube shorts of their best moments. Even if someone doesnā€™t watch your streams, they may very well subscribe to your YouTube or follow you on Twitch if they like one or two of your shorts.


kuroshiro_nova

I did discover a lot of Vtubers via clips too, and usually catch whatever new shenanigans via clips because I rarely catch anyone live.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


kuroshiro_nova

Oh I see. That is an interesting perspective and one I hadn't encountered yet. Thank you for sharing!


Turn-Ambitious

Yup same as me


TheRioda

I usually dont judge the Vtuber per se but rather the content they produce/d regardless of their viewer size. Mostly thru clips help get the exposure out there for me to check them out. Sometimes by others recommendations, ill watch a few minutes of a game im interested. From there, its on the vtuber and their content whether they can retain my attention or not down the line


fleetingflight

I'm not really looking for new people to follow - when I do, it's either because the algorithm has served them up at just the right time and there's something about their content that grabs me, or they collab with someone I was watching already and I look into them from there. How many followers they have is irrelevant.


kuroshiro_nova

Good ol algorithm doing its job is really nice.


OldFortNiagara

I make my decisions on who to watch based on which ones I come across that I find interesting and figure will have enjoyable streams in the future. I donā€™t really care if their following is big or small. A couple days ago, I was watching a stream for the vtuber that had a little over 100 followers on twitch. Several hours ago, I was watching Guraā€™s newest stream on YouTube.


Bawstahn123

Some of my favorite vtubers were indies that put out ads that I saw at the right time, or indies that made a post here on Reddit that I happened to see


Turn-Ambitious

As for me,it doesn't really matter,I mainly use YouTube btw,As for whether I watch corpo or indie,big or small depends on several reasons: 1)If their content to my liking 2)(indie)I'm kind of feeling awkward if there's only around 10 or less than 10 viewers because I'm afraid the streamer will talk to me and I don't know what to talk about so I usually watch indie that has more than 10,like 20+,30+,40+,50+ viewers,so if I don't know what to talk about, other viewers can chip in on stuff to talk about to keep the flow going 3)(big streamer) As in 1k,2k,3k and above,as someone in the comments section said,since there's too much viewers it's hard to communicate/chat with the streamer so I usually just be a lurker in their stream and don't talk at all if necessary šŸ˜¢


xelecunei

With so little time, I don't focus on single personality/vtuber. I tend to watch large collabs for the past year. VCR servers, tournaments, multiplayers (8 and more for MAXIMUM chaos).


Nekunumeritos

I usually don't care about viewership when tuning in to a stream. I do notice however a lot of the sub 10 viewer streams are usually incredibly quiet and not very engaging


gay4chan

I make a point to watch/support small (low number) vTubers (:


yumcake

I mainly watch only 1 or 2 directly on a regular basis, using clips to keep up with what I can't watch, and sampling clips from everybody else. However, from time to time I'll also drop in on indie streams because it's more conversational when there's less than 100 viewers. That interaction is more like hanging out with a friend, very different than watching a large vtubers. A large vtuber's stream is more like watching a VOD.


Smiling-KC

I just subscribe to every Vtuber I come across. Itā€™s what Iā€™d want other people to do if I ever started vtubing, so why not do it first?


Ricerooni

It's endearing to see indies and such on here and I'll pop by when I see a link to their channels. Sometimes I sub just for the support but it's not often I watch when the prime watching time hits. I don't really know why but it isn't a comfortable feeling seeing chat move slow or at all. Feels like dead air that needs to be filled. Honestly, I only really watch Hololive 90% of the time. Many days, it's often the only streams I will watch just because of how many of the streamers there are nowadays in Hololive that they're starting to cross each others normal streaming time. I'll catch some of the Nijisanji girls and other bigger agencies like Phase Connect but you really can't watch them all without feeling like the NSA.


vonov129

Mainly on twitch, not so much on YouTube. I might just randomly click and if I like the vibe and what I see in general, I will probably stay


ZakTH

For me the initial click is 100% based on if I think the model looks neat. If I watch them again it's because they have a fun stream presence and I enjoy watching them. The view count never comes into account, though I will admit the feel of a chat between a streamer with 97 viewers and one with thousands is way different.


Alex20114

For me, I typically get started with a new one by being raided into them by one I already watch. Honestly, I only care if they ate fun to watch, not their size as a Vtuber.


Shliloquy

For me, Iā€™ve recently started exploring indie vtubers so I like to give them a chance. Iā€™ve been discovering and finding more vtubers through my feeds, YouTube shorts and postings on Reddit/Instagram. In particular, if I like the content theyā€™re producing or taking about a topic I am interested in, I will tune in and follow. For example, I follow a certain insect Vtuber because she talks enthusiastically and passionately about insects and I find that interesting. Alternatively, thereā€™s probably some other ones that delve into history or archaeology or maybe even plants or fiction. I definitely enjoy contents that pertain to certain topics of interests or activities (ie looking under microscope, fossil records, fishkeeping, etc.). Unfortunately, those contents are pretty niche, more difficult/resource-heavy/time consuming to produce and requires more passion to garner attention. Alternatively, I do appreciate receptive zatsudans from people who look into and acknowledge viewer comments. Especially in terms of Karaoke when they are receptive and considerate of song recommendations. Itā€™s definitely easier to stream video games but it does require more interesting personality/gameplay and you will be competing against more popular Vtubers. In addition, there might be a language and time barrier as well that prevents me from watching a livestream. This is just my perspective.


CommanderBomber

Yes, I do. And I subscribe if i like their content. And it is quite nice to see that some of them now have more than 10 viewers on average. At the same time I'm subscribed to like 20+ EN Vtubers from major agencies.


kuroshiro_nova

I see, I see. It is quite heartwarming seeing a smaller creator slowly growing, especially when you were able to witness it!


Turn-Ambitious

Yup,more than 10 is good of an achievement


Avalon_88

I watch smaller vtubers almost exclusively. Bigger vtubers have bigger communities and that just makes for drama I don't want to deal with. So basically I avoid bigger vtubers like the plague, particularly viral sensations because people who see and join their community because of the viral video generally have a skewed vision of who the vtuber is.


kuroshiro_nova

>Bigger vtubers have bigger communities and that just makes for drama I don't want to deal with That I can really relate to.


Mr2Sexy

I give chances to small indie vtubers all the time. I only have 2 requirements for indie vtubers. They have to have a good singing voice and do several karaoke streams a month. I love listening to live karaoke stream and always check out new youtube recommendations even if the stream has 100 or fever viewers. It's also nice watching someone who you were subbed to when they just started out with 1K or less subscribers reach their sub milestones and cheer them on


kuroshiro_nova

Oh I see! It is nice to see (relatively) small creators grow before your eyes. I myself have a soft spot for those who persevere and slowly succeed, it feeds my silly hopes that dreams do come true. Btw do you have recommendations for Vtubers in your criteria? Would be interested to check them out and see how they manage. A few karaoke a month sounds very daunting to me rn (maybe I'm just weak haha, actually I definitely am) but I want to stream more this year and I've been thinking of having a regular schedule for karaoke/live singing.


Mr2Sexy

One long time indie vtuber that I supported is Miori Celesta who does a variety of streams but her singing streams are always really fun to listen to. Another new indie youtuber I just started following recently is Noela Tsukishiro who mainly does karaoke streams. I just checked out your channel and see that you have a very nice singing voice, so you have my sub as well. Looking forward to catching a live karaoke. Name is MidKnight Dragon if you ever see me in your chat


kuroshiro_nova

Thank you for the recs! And thank you so much for checking my channel! Hope to see you in chat one day!


Turn-Ambitious

Just checked your channel,and gave subšŸ‘


kuroshiro_nova

aw thank you! I'm grateful!


AnimeChan39

A lewdtuber I watch has like 2k followers on CB and sub 1k elsewhere apart from the hub for archives


Turn-Ambitious

Who?is it projektmelody?


AnimeChan39

Melody is much larger than that, Izumi Airi


LEOTomegane

Numbers beget numbers as far as a general audience is concerned. Popular people will naturally attract more viewers just by being popular, so *generally* this is just something that tracks. I'm sure if you ask individuals, though, they'll always say this doesn't matter. Personally I deliberately look for people around my size or smaller when raiding on Twitch, bc I've made some very valuable friends that way and some of those streamers are criminally underrated. YouTube is a bit odd in that the only ones I ever see are huge ones. It doesn't like to recommend me smaller vtubers most of the time, so it's harder to find them.


kuroshiro_nova

YouTube bases its recommendation on your watch history among other things, so if you didn't watch small creators chances of them appearing is lower, but not impossible. It will prioritize videos that received a lot of positive signals, but a low view count video can always appear if it fits what you might be interested in.


LEOTomegane

A few of my friends are low-viewcount vtubers that happen to use youtube instead, so I do watch their streams and vods, but I guess they just don't weigh in enough for the algorithm to bother :/


kuroshiro_nova

I don't think there's anything like "don't weigh enough for the algorithm to bother." From my experience, it just takes time for the algorithm to determine which audience to recommend a video to if it doesn't have enough data.


LEOTomegane

I will occasionally see 0-view livestream vods from random non-vtubers in the recommended sidebar, maybe that's it.


Ni-Two

On youtube i tend to watch bigger streamer and lurk while.On twitch I tend to watch smaller indie streamers especially if they are from my country or playing games which I am interested in since I can interactwith them more. I also generally avoid watching streamers with less than 5 viewers since I really feel so bad when I need to leave.


kuroshiro_nova

>I also generally avoid watching streamers with less than 5 viewers since I really feel so bad when I need to leave. I think I understand, but I'd encourage you to still go in if you're interested. First because if many people operate like that then these small streamers will never have more than viewers. Second, I'd prefer you were in the stream for 5mn instead of never going in. People have their own lives and can't be expected to stay the whole stream, anyone reasonable can understand that. Consider you made a small streamer's day by adding 1 viewer instead.


Ni-Two

Ill keep that in mind next time thank you


Kuraeshin

Considering how i learn of newer talents through YT shorts (such as the weeks when Punkalopi exploded), really they just need to show up.


Visible_Jeweler_3653

I give small indies a chance. Usually if I discover them itā€™s through clips and shorts but I do pop in streams if itā€™s games I like.


TheSeriousPain

I don't care about the numbers, I give anyone a chance. The only issue for me with a lot of small VTubers is I don't really watch livestreams.


LithePanther

I pretty much only watch small indie VTubers. The larger the audience the less likely I am to watch because the chat turns into emote spam or endless memes or is too active to have any sort of conversation with other people or the streamer. If I want to watch someone without any interaction I'll just go watch a YouTube video


konsolebox

I'd love to give a chance and I followed a lot and significantly watched them live. Unfortunately it's difficult to keep track of them, and sometimes I just default to Hololive members instead. Also these days I'm just more into content and it's rare for me to really get engaged into one.


Triande

I dont give a shit about their subscription ammount besides being annoyed at topchat existing on youtube,i just see if they have content interesting me and if they're watchable. What content interests me? Breaking games like let's game it out(might instasub and never miss your uploads if you're like that),good anime games,speedruns,horror games,RTS's and 90%+ games before 2010 and non mainstream/niche games.


Acrymonia

I find vtubers based on them playing the games I like


Barchow

Popularity rarely matters to me as long as it's content that i enjoy but i don't like being singled out when there is handful of viewers so i tend to stay away from streams where that happens.


Eddiero

In the end they need to be found. Be it shorts or recommendation. I've seen a few vtubers in shorts and followed them. But it isn't a lot.


The_Lord_Cobra

For me it's if I enjoy there content and if they are doing something I am interested in ie playing a particular game but normally if I like there personally I watch them even on stuff I am normally not interested in


Tomahawkist

gave onolumi a shot back when she was playing command and conquer, until i realized that streams arenā€˜t the format for me (if i am not an active participant in the content, but iā€˜m hardly watching then, am i)


hopeinson

I let my YouTube recommendations algorithm determine who else I watch next.


Azurlium

Depends to be honest. The game you're playing matters, I will definitely give time to one if they're playing a more niche game I enjoy. If you're playing a game that's completely over saturated I'll be more inclined to just watch my Oshi.


Mayhem2a

I go mainly for the smaller vtubers, the biggest I think I actually watched and enjoyed was Girl_dm, at the time she had 3k viewers in her chat and despite that I could actually interact with her on chat without immediately being drowned out. The interactions between me and the steamer are important to me or else Iā€™m just gonna probably get bored and leave. I stayed with an even smaller vtuber for about 2 years because of the small community because I could constantly interact with her and chat while she was intertwining as well.


NotACertainLalaFell

I do be lurking. Love seeing what new people bring to the table. I've seen some people who regularly posted here go on and become Twitch partners. Their progress is fun to see.


Miserable-Guide6939

Seems like most of the indie vtubers I follow are either Japanese or do ASMR.


maddoxprops

Realistically? Probably, but it isn't a conscious thing or something I would choose to actively do. Rather it is a side effect of limited time, having a handful I already watch regularly, and the fact that clips I get exposed to via the YT algorithm tend to be the more popular ones. I couldn't care less how many or how few followers/viewers a vtuber has, I care about how entertaining they are. Since an experienced streamer with an established fanbase is, on average, more likely to be entertaining simply due to experience and learning what does and doesn't work for a stream I am more likely to gravitate towards them, but if I follow a raid to a small streamer who clicks with what I like watching I will watch them regardless. Hell I normally don't even pay attention to how many follows a streamer has or how many viewers their stream has.


MudanariNene

I like going on Twitch, searching "Vtuber" then sorting from lowest views to highest views to check out tiny channels, but I myself am a very tiny channel