India, Aug. 26 -- For years, Twitch streamers have faced suspicion over fake viewers boosting their live numbers. This month, the company launched a new crackdown on so-called viewbotting and the impact has been immediate and dramatic. Streamers at every level are seeing their viewership take a hit.

Viewbotting is the use of automated bots to boost live audience numbers and make a stream appear far more popular than it really is. This doesn't just distort reality for casual viewers, it also skews prospects for advertising and channel discovery. Twitch has tried to address bot-driven fake engagement before, but the latest measures rolling out since late July are now making a visible dent.

According to multiple reports, Twitch's system up...