Twitch Loses Second Place to Mixer in Streamer Popularity
According to a recent report by Streamlabs and Newzoo, Mixer has surpassed YouTube Gaming to become the second-most popular platform for streamers. While Twitch remains the preferred streaming website for viewers, this shift in popularity is significant for Mixer.
Ninja’s Move Boosts Mixer’s Streaming Growth
The report attributes Mixer’s streaming growth in the third quarter of 2019 to Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ migration from Twitch. Since Ninja’s move, Mixer has experienced a 188 percent increase in total hours streamed, rising from 11.3 million to 32.6 million. Additionally, the number of unique channels broadcasting on Mixer nearly doubled from 1.95 million to 3.9 million.
Mixer Sees Decrease in Average Concurrent Viewers
However, the rapid growth on Mixer led to a decrease in average concurrent viewers (CCV) on the platform. In the third quarter, Mixer’s average CCV was measured at 40,800, with an average CCV per stream of 2.7 compared to 8.9 in the second quarter.
Twitch Regains Viewership Momentum
While Mixer may have pulled some streamers away from Twitch and YouTube Gaming, Twitch has experienced a resurgence in viewership. In the third quarter, Twitch saw a 4.5 percent increase in total hours watched, reaching 2.55 billion. Although total hours streamed on Twitch decreased by around 2.5 percent, the decrease was much smaller compared to the previous quarter.
Possible Factors for Twitch’s Decreasing Streamer Base
Twitch has been facing challenges with a steady decline in unique channels broadcasting on the platform. Since the first quarter of this year, the number of unique broadcasters on Twitch has dropped by almost 33 percent. Several factors could explain this decline, including Ninja’s move to Mixer, increased competition from other streaming services like DLive, Caffeine, and Facebook Gaming, and controversies surrounding Twitch’s Terms of Service.
YouTube Gaming Holds Second Place in Viewership
YouTube Gaming remains in second place for viewership, with 675.9 million hours watched in the third quarter. However, total hours streamed and the number of unique channels broadcasting on YouTube Gaming also saw a decrease.
Facebook Gaming’s Growing Popularity
According to Streamlabs’ public relations manager Ethan May, Facebook Gaming shouldn’t be overlooked, especially considering its international popularity. The number of active streamers on Facebook Gaming has increased by 236 percent since the first quarter of 2018, reaching an all-time high of 153,000 active streamers in the second quarter of 2019.
Fortnite’s Declining Viewership on Twitch
Despite being the most-watched game on Twitch in the third quarter, Fortnite’s viewership experienced a 24 percent decrease compared to the previous quarter. This downward trend shows that Fortnite is 42 percent less popular on Twitch than it was in the second quarter of 2018.
Overall, these changes in streamer popularity and viewership highlight the dynamic nature of the esports streaming landscape.
Twitch, Mixer, YouTube Gaming, streamers, viewership, concurrent viewers, total hours watched, total hours streamed, unique channels, Facebook Gaming, Fortnite