The 2026 streaming algorithm is a 3-layer system: Filter, Rank, Recommend.

Filter (Layer 1). Removes bot traffic, ghost viewers, and inflated metrics from the input data. Streams with high bot percentages get downgraded before any ranking happens. Platforms have invested heavily in this layer since 2023 to clean up the recommendation engines.

Rank (Layer 2). Scores remaining real engagement signals. Chat velocity, retention past 30 seconds, average watch duration, external traffic source, streamer consistency. The signals are weighted differently per platform but the categories are similar across platforms.

Recommend (Layer 3). Places ranked streams into discovery surfaces — browse pages, sidebar recommendations, push notifications to followers, "you might like" panels.

The mistake most streamers make: optimizing for the Recommend layer (browse-page placement) without first making sure the Filter layer doesn't downgrade them and the Rank layer scores them well. Without strong filter and rank performance, no amount of placement optimization helps.

This course unpacks each layer.