- Live streaming hours hit a record 8.9 billion in Q1 2025, up 9% year-over-year.
- Non-gaming content sees a 25.6% YoY rise, becoming the most-watched category.
- Esports shows resilience with average tournament viewership reaching a five-year peak.
Stream Hatchet, a subsidiary of GameSquare Holdings (GAME, Financial), released its Q1 2025 Live Streaming Trends Report, highlighting a substantial surge in the live streaming industry. The report underscores a total of 8.9 billion hours watched during the first quarter, registering a 9% year-over-year increase, the highest level since 2021.
The report brings to light that non-gaming content has emerged as the most-watched category, showing a notable rise of 25.6% YoY. New platforms like Kick, Chzzk, and SOOP Korea have significantly contributed to this growth, each recording approximately 94% YoY growth in non-gaming content viewership.
Despite Twitch experiencing a 6.9% decline in viewership, the overall market saw expansion driven by platforms like Kick, which grew by 112%, and YouTube Gaming, which increased by 25%. Notably, Kick's Arabic viewership surged by 491%, becoming the platform's leading language demographic, while Facebook Live plummeted with a 77% YoY decline, falling out of the Top 10 platforms.
Esports viewership overall dropped by 2.3% YoY due to fewer events. However, the average viewership per tournament reached a five-year high, with significant events such as the LCK Cup and Intel Extreme Masters fueling viewer engagement.
Among new game releases, Monster Hunter Wilds captivated audiences with over 10 million hours watched on its first day, marking the strongest day-one viewership since early 2023. Additionally, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Schedule I emerged as top competitors in the most-watched new titles.
For further details on the live streaming and gaming ecosystem, visit Stream Hatchet's website.
