In the early days of 2020, as the pandemic started to gain traction and lockdowns no sooner unfolded globally, Twitch and other assorted live streaming platforms became a sort of hub for young and middle-aged audiences in a time wherein loneliness was ever-present. One can even see the general nature of this rise via Bloomberg, showcasing the total video game live streaming numbers across all platforms in Q2 of 2020 as reaching eight billion and rising moving into 2021.
But lockdowns have diminished or ceased entirely, depending on the area in question, leaving live streamers like YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming in a bind as audiences leave the prison cell of their homes for the outdoors. Twitch, on the other hand, remains an utter dominator in the fold, proving to remain consistent in its overall reach as well as retention.
These concerns are laid to bare via Streamlabs amid its recently unveiled Q1 2022 report, which highlights various metrics across the board for the three major live streamers. Of note is the lighter restrictions imparted as lockdowns wane, impacting growth on both YouTube and Facebook, where Q1 total hours watched sits at a mesely 1.13 billion and 803 million, respectively.
As for Twitch, it leads the charge with an average total watch hours between January and March sitting at a clean 6.13 billion, making up a total of 76% of the market share. And as far as streaming is concerned, Twitch broadcasters are still proving to be overworked, with 229 million hours behind them in Q1. That's 91.5% over its YouTube and Facebook counterparts, which only goes to highlight the dramatically unhealthy lives led by the "internet's new rock stars."
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Streamlabs posit the purple-hued platform's growth in the face of avid decline due to updated features on the Xbox dashboard allowing streaming to return to Microsoft's console. The team also alludes to the potential aid of Twitch integrations through Amazon Luna, the company's cloud game streaming service, as well as major events, like QTCinderella's StreamerAwards, which netted the broadcaster a little under 400,000 views on one live stream.
Even major departures, like Ludwig and TimTheTatman, proved to have little effect in bolstering YouTube Gaming's audience numbers. In fact, YouTube witnessed a 7.4% decrease from its Q4 2021 numbers. Year over year metrics for Google's live streamer is at an overall 12.4% decline, but given the most recent signing of Sykkuno, as well as the integration of a raid-like feature, YouTube Gaming certainly vies to bounce back - if not topple its competitors long-term.
Interestingly, while video gaming itself has proven to be a staple of the live broadcasting formula, Twitch's Just Chatting section still remains the top dog at an 808 million average viewership, maintaining its dominance as the most-watched category since Q3 of 2020. Following close behind are Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5 and Riot Games' League of Legends.
The loss of Ryan Wyatt, YouTube Gaming's former head, proved to put a damper on the overall mood on the platform. Yet strengthening its culture and ecosystem is of major importance, as Twitch's dominance demonstrates the platform has retention unlike any other due to such concepts as gifted subs, hosts, dedicated emotes, and so much more, which YouTube Gaming still lacks.
Additionally, with major creators like Amouranth, who recently cited a "350,000-$400,000 investment in content on Twitch," to Vtuber growth as seen with Ironmouse, Twitch is bound for even grander heights, especially as competition heats up most prominently from the likes of YouTube as it continues to scoop up talent.
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