Don't Reward 3: Hour Hunting. Streaming for very long sessions (8-24 hours) to inflate total broadcast minutes without strong engagement.

Why this fails:

• The algorithm tracks engagement floor — minimum chat velocity and CCV during a broadcast.
• Long broadcasts inevitably include hours where engagement drops dramatically (energy drops, audience attrition during off-peak hours).
• Those low-engagement hours pull down the average for the entire broadcast.
• Net effect: a 4-hour high-energy broadcast often outranks an 8-hour broadcast with 4 high-energy hours and 4 low-energy hours.

The exception: subathons. Long broadcasts that maintain engagement throughout (typically 12-72 hour streamer marathons with goal-driven sub spikes) can produce algorithm bumps. But these only work when the engagement holds.

The discipline:

• Stream as long as you can sustain engagement
• End broadcasts when energy drops, even if you'd planned longer
• Avoid the temptation to "just keep streaming" past your sustainable energy window
• 3-4 high-energy hours beats 6-8 mixed-energy hours

The algorithm watches engagement consistency, not raw broadcast time. Optimize for the right metric.