Stream Hatchet, a streaming analytics and business intelligence platform and wholly-owned subsidiary of GameSquare, has released its Q3 2024 report, revealing significant growth trends in gaming and live-streaming viewership.

This quarter, live streaming viewership is at 8.5 billion hours watched, with a 12 per cent year-over-year increase—the highest growth since the pandemic’s peak. Key players in this resurgence include platforms like Kick and YouTube Gaming, with top creators drawing audiences worldwide.

“Live streaming is at the forefront of a broader shift in how audiences engage with entertainment,” commented Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare. “The Stream Hatchet Q3 2024 report demonstrates that as video continues to dominate the entertainment industry and creator economy, platforms like YouTube Gaming and Kick are seizing opportunities to reshape the competitive landscape. This data underscores a trend where audience attention – and platform strategies – are diversifying, fueling innovation and growth in live streaming as a primary medium of engagement.”

Key Findings of the Q3 2024 Report:

1. Overall Growth in Gaming and Esports Viewership:
   Live streaming rebounded with an 8 per cent rise in esports hours watched, fueled by tournaments such as MPL Indonesia Season 14 and LCK Summer 2024, which generated a combined 130 million hours watched. Esports now comprises one-fifth of all live-streaming viewership, underscoring its importance in the gaming sector.

2. YouTube Gaming and Kick’s Rapid Rise:
   YouTube Gaming grew its viewership to 2 billion hours, marking a year-over-year increase in market share from 17 per cent to 23 per cent. Kick also demonstrated exponential growth, with a 163 per cent increase in hours watched compared to last year. This growth was bolstered by prominent streamers like xQc, who shifted much of their content to Kick.

3. Shifts in Platform Dominance:
   Twitch’s market share dropped to 60 per cent, while other platforms, especially YouTube Gaming and Kick, gained ground. Facebook Live has fallen from the top five, with newer platforms like AfreecaTV and Rumble filling the gap.

4. Spanish-Language Content and Emerging Platforms:
   Spanish content surged by 59 per cent on Kick, making it the second most-watched language on the platform with 129 million hours. Meanwhile, new entrants like Chzzk and Rumble continue to offer alternatives, engaging unique audiences across diverse regions.

5. Top Creators of Q3 2024:

   1. The top creators are losing their stranglehold on the market, with the top 5 per cent of streamers by hours watched dropping from 98 per cent of the total market share in Q2 2019 to just 86 per cent in Q2 2024, indicating a more diverse market for smaller streamers.

   2. Notable streamers such as Kai Cenat and Ironmouse (pictured) have set records this quarter. KaiCenat took the #1 spot with a 78 per cent increase in viewership, while Ironmouse garnered 320,000 subscribers during ‘Subtember’, marking a new milestone

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, Games, OTT, OTT, Research, Social Media, UGC

Tags: streaming, Twitch, Video games, youtube