COVID-19 Is Great for Streaming Platforms
According to StreamElements and Arsenal.gg, Twitch, and Facebook Gaming have exploded in popularity since COVID-19 lockdowns began, especially in recent months. Twitch viewership has grown to 5 billion hours watched between April and June, which is up more than 50 percent from the first quarter of 2020, and it’s up more than 60 percent over the same three months in 2019. Facebook Gaming viewership is up 75 percent quarter over quarter and 200 percent year over year. The Twitch app is available for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS and Android now and it’s expected to appear on next-gen consoles as well.
Despite the fact that Facebook Gaming is blowing up alongside Twitch viewership since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented, It’s still about a fifth the size of Twitch in terms of overall hours watched. Microsoft’s Mixer recently went under and it’s possible that the increased viewership on Twitch and Facebook Gaming are is partly because of the failure of Mixer. In May, StreamElements and Arsenal.gg reported a 45 percent leap in viewership for the whole live-streaming industry between just March and April.
StreamElements has also mentioned that the “Travel & Outdoors” category on Twitch came close to tripling viewership in terms of hours watched in June compared to January. Considering Facebook Gaming received such a significant increase since the COVID-19 restrictions, it’s likely the platform will continue growing through the pandemic. It’s interesting to see that Travel & Outdoors is growing so exponentially during COVID-19, it’s as if viewers want to live vicariously through the Twitch streamers so they don’t have to break the lockdown rules to experience the world around them.
Are you a Twitch fan who has watched more hours than usual during these past few months? Let us know in the comments below!