What's New in Streaming

StreamElements and Stream Hatchet released the State of the Stream report for Q1 2019. The report analyzes viewership data by streaming platform, by streamer, and by game.

Streaming platforms

Source: State of the Stream Q1 2019 Quarterly Report

Twitch traditionally dominates the streaming landscape. In Q1 2019, Twitch viewership increased by 35% compared to Q1 2018 and reached 2.7 billion hours watched.

YouTube Live might be falling far behind, but it still shows consistent growth, with its viewership almost doubling over the last year.

The holder of the distant third place, Mixer, exhibits growth that is even more impressive. Since Q1 2018, its numbers increased from 22 million hours watched to 89 millions.

Games

Source: State of the Stream Q1 2019 Quarterly Report

In February, Fortnite plunged below 100 million for the first time, but new releases have helped it regain altitude at 118 million hours watched.  Despite 8% decline in viewership compared to Q4 2018, Fortnite has remained the most watched game for the third consecutive quarter.

League of Legends is the second most watched game and enjoys 13.91% increase from Q4 2018

Apex Legends drops from its 40 million peak in February by 75% to 10 million hours watched a week. Only two top streamers played it in March.

Notably, GTA V finishes seventh in the top 10. Played by streamers like Summit1G, SodaPoppin, Lirik, Vader, and Buddha, the title saw a breath-taking 178.02% increase in viewership since Q4 2018. It just shows how powerful streamers can be in terms of setting trends.

Other trends

Twitch’s longtail viewership grew by incredible 50% compared to 2018 average.

As far as top streamers are concerned, the leaderboard is constantly shifting. Shroud set the record of 15 million hours watched in February, but he left the top spot due to an injury.  So far, Summit1g, Ninja, and Tfue are the only streamers who haven’t left the top 5 in 2019.