When we think about esports, games, and gamers, it goes hand in hand with streaming. In 2020, streaming services took center stage as people were stuck at home under restrictions, looking for entertainment, building their channels and events having to re-think how to deliver content to their audiences.

Some people use the platform to engage with new audiences, strive towards fame, and some spend years streaming to an audience that counts at 0 for years.

For this article, we are going to focus on Twitch.

How many people consume streamed content VS traditional television?

It is important to note that Twitch and many live streaming platforms give traditional television a run for their money. There are many reasons this is, in general, it is easier to create content for the platform, therefore, more people are contributing content to attract users. 9.5 million streamers broadcasted on Twitch in February 2021, according to TwitchTracker.

Between Q1 2019 - Q1 2020 (before the pandemic) there was a 15.3% drop in the time spent watching traditional TV according to Nielsen. This data is also averaged and not including those that do not watch any television.

Daily active users spend an average of 106 minutes on Twitch, with many users spending more than 20 hours or more on the platform every week according to mediakix. According to Nielsen, the average American watches 4.3 hours of television per week, which means among Twitchs' top consumers, they outperform television.

What content are viewers consuming?

It is no surprise that the majority of the content available and most popular on Twitch is gaming-related content. However, you can find just about any type of content on Twitch. The top category for Twitch is Grand Theft Auto V at the time of writing this article at 12.6% and 397,484 viewers in February 2021, followed by Just Chatting at 12.3% and 390,496 viewers.

Younger viewers are more adventurous with the content they consume, however, they are also pickier with the content they select. According to Nielson, The average U.S. adult takes 7.4 minutes to make a selection on a streaming service. Adults 18 to 34 take 9.4 minutes, while those between the ages 35 to 54 need 8.4 minutes.

Who Is Watching?

Twitch has grown considerably over the past few years, in 2021 we've already seen considerable growth as the world starts to return to normal with 533 Billion minutes watched this year so far, a 40% growth on 2020.

Twitch is vastly dominated by younger viewers. The audience is mostly made up of males making up for 65% of the audience on Twitch. This however is starting to balance compared to 2017, where 80% of the viewership was male in 2017.

The majority of the viewers on Twitch are aged 16 - 24. 2021 Twitch user statistics show Millennials and Generation Z make up 73% of the viewership on the platform.

Conclusion

Streaming is a strong part of the culture surrounded by games and will continue to grow with the industry. Games are a pillar of a thriving culture of engaged fans taking over the internet. Streaming is a great place to look at to engage a younger and active audience of gaming fans.