Twitch has introduced Hype Chat, a way for viewers to engage with creators by purchasing messages that are pinned to the top of the feed.

Hype Chat is designed to help viewers stand out in the crowd by purchasing messages that will remain pinned to the top of the chat feed, rather than getting lost in the noise. Twitch says users will be able to pin messages that are valued anywhere from $1 to $500, with creators able to set up to a $100 minimum.

The company is pitching Hype Chat as a new revenue stream for content creators.

Most viewers will purchase Hype Chat directly in their local currency–no Bits required. Hype Chat’s revenue split is 70/30 net of payment costs on web. Streamers receive 70%, and Twitch receives 30%. You can read more about how payments and fees work in our help page.

Subs, Gifts, Bits, and other forms of support aren’t changing. Hype Chat is a new, additional way that streamers can earn revenue.

Twitch also promises that various safety measures have been put in place, including the following:

• Viewers will not be able to send Hype Chat messages that contain banned words or phrases, including both sitewide by Twitch and at the channel level by streamers.
• Hype Chat messages from users who are timed out or banned will be immediately removed from the queue.
• Hype Chat messages are scanned by AutoMod, and viewers will not be able to complete their Hype Chat purchase if it’s flagged by AutoMod.

In addition, the company promises the following Hype Chat-specific safety features;

• Streamers and Mods will be able to unpin Hype Chat messages they deem harmful or unwelcomed.
• Streamers can set a minimum Hype Chat price to up to $100 USD for their channel and adjust it whenever they’d like.

It’s easy to see where Hype Chat could open up a slew of unwelcome scenarios, but it seems Twitch is working hard to prevent such an outcome. Time will tell if the feature lives up to the hype (pun intended).