Twitch Will Surpass 40 Million Viewers by 2021

Twitch Will Surpass 40 Million Viewers by 2021
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eMarketer estimates that 37.5 million people in the US will watch streaming video on Twitch at least monthly in 2020. That means that the gaming video streaming platform will reach 15.5% of US digital video viewers this year.

“Twitch is by far the largest platform for streaming video game content, well ahead of YouTube, Mixer and Facebook Gaming,“ said eMarketer forecasting analyst Peter Vahle. “As the pioneer in this space, Twitch has built a loyal and engaged audience by allowing viewers to directly interact with their favorite streamers.“

Twitch will once again experience double-digit growth year over year, growing by 14.3% from 2019. But growth will slow, as Twitch loses share to competitors like YouTube, Mixer and Facebook Gaming.

“Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, hosts streaming video content primarily focused on video games, including live streamed broadcasts. Live and non-live content is now too big for the internet giants to ignore,“ Vahle said. “The big platforms, owned by the likes of Facebook, Google and Microsoft, are competing to sign big deals with popular streamers and esports leagues. Twitch will have to find ways to encourage streamers, viewers and advertisers to stay on its platform now that other attractive options exist.“

“One way Twitch can continue to grow its platform is through nongaming content, which began driving significant traffic in 2019,“ Vahle said. “Its platform is designed for live streaming video and streamer/viewer interaction; these features are certainly intriguing to content creators outside of gaming.“