Thanks for this post. I'd like to add my own two-bits. :)
I don't look at streaming as a competition, and as much as some people might disagree with what I'm about to state, I stand by the following 100%:
There is absolutely nothing that any other broadcaster can do on his or her channel that will have ANY impact on your channel. It doesn't matter if they use viewbots. It doesn't matter if they draw viewers with provocative attire. It doesn't matter if they do giveaways every fifteen minutes or if they have every other broadcaster on the site hosting them.
You are the only person that can dictate the type and quality of content that you provide on your channel. Any statement to the contrary is nothing more than an excuse--a rationalization, blaming others for your own failures. A lot of people don't want to hear that because it's so much easier than to blame others for your own shortcomings than it is to accept responsibility for your own actions (or lack thereof). It's easier to blame others than it is to expend the time and effort that will make your own content something that is worth watching.
At the moment, I spend 20 hours per week broadcasting, but I also put in an additional 10 hours (approximately) per week doing "behind-the-scenes" work that makes the other 20 hours worthwhile. That means 33% percent of my time spent doing broadcast-related work is something that my viewers will never see and are not necessarily aware of, but it pays off and is worth it when even one person says, "Hey, I like your stream."
There is not a single broadcaster here on Hitbox or any other site that is going to appeal to every potential viewer. For every person that tells me I'm their favorite streamer, I'm sure there is another person that loathes me. Others might enjoy my stream while I'm playing a particular game but will move on when I switch to something else. Nobody can "steal" my viewers, nor can I "steal" viewers from anyone else. Viewers have the freedom to chose the channels they watch for reasons that they do not need to explain or justify to anyone else.
In my experience, it's the excuse-making that is the source for the majority of ill-will among broadcasters. Sure, there will always be other reasons such as personality conflicts; some people are just different enough that they will never get along even if there is no real issue dividing them. But it's also that diversity that makes streaming communities wonderful and dynamic, especially for someone like me that, as a viewer, enjoys a wide variety of content.
If you completely disagree with what I'm saying, that's fine, but be aware that, as I stated at the very beginning of this comment, this is a strong personal conviction that is highly unlikely to be swayed. If you feel compelled to tell me why you think I'm wrong, go right ahead, but before you do so, try this: if you're a broadcaster, first take some time to objectively assess your own content and look for ways to improve it. Even if you've been doing this as long as I have, you'll always find ways to tweak things and there are always new ideas to be researched and implemented to entertain your viewers. You can spend a LOT of time doing this, and if that leaves you little or no time to reply to me, your time will have been better spent.