1.5 Game Live Participation

As the total number of viewers watching live game content is about to cross the 1 billion mark, 2021 is a landmark year in the history of live game streaming: it shatters all viewership records set in 2020. It should be noted that due to the impact of the epidemic, 2020 is already a hot year for game live broadcasts. But in 2021, viewership continues to grow by 12.7% year-on-year to 747 million.

Looking at the data of each live broadcast platform:

·Twitch has accumulated 23.3 billion hours of live streaming so far in 2021, a record high for the platform

·YouTube has accumulated 4.5 billion hours of live streaming so far in 2021

·We started tracking Facebook game live streaming data in April 2021 and have accumulated 3.5 billion hours to date

In 2021, our analysis of live broadcast data and consumer insights have drawn a key takeaway: Many audiences who started watching live content early in the pandemic have survived. This not only allows several top live broadcast platforms to gain a large-scale increase in ratings in 2021, but also small platforms:

"Some audiences are moving from large, mature platforms to smaller platforms," said Luca Chiovato, a market analyst at Newzoo who focuses on game live streaming market research. "Typically, in order to accelerate brand injection and activation, these small platforms will More emphasis on localized content. These services are built around specific gaming experiences, such as mobile gaming, so these are designed to work best on certain devices as well.”

To put it simply, audience participation has reached a new high, and the competition for live game streaming is more intense than ever. This creates a better ecosystem for both viewers and streamers.

As senior market analyst Jordan Fragen puts it: “The platform war is coming back. YouTube is attracting many streamers from Twitch to relocate because Google-owned platforms have less rigid requirements for monthly live hours, giving creators better It also gives them more opportunities to build their brand outside of live game streaming.”

Twitch still leads the Western market in terms of hours watched and continues to innovate outside of gaming boundaries. Looking at the big picture, more creators are starting to work with sports leagues and brands to bring more users to Twitch. For example, Brazilian broadcaster Gaules has partnered with the NBA to broadcast basketball games to fans.

This is just the beginning of a wave of innovative collaborations. In the months and years to come, we will see even more innovations:

Luca said: “Going into the new year, we expect to see increased engagement from livestreaming platforms as creators and platforms continue to connect and resonate with their communities. And we’ll be keeping a close eye on how the market plays out. way to continue to develop.”