Facebook Gaming sees decline with Kick and YouTube Gaming on the way

As the live streaming industry continues to evolve, Q3 2024 data Streamlab’s report provides a comprehensive look at how the major platforms are performing in terms of viewer engagement, content creation and market share. From Twitch’s continued dominance to Kick’s meteoric rise and YouTube Gaming’s resurgence, the streaming world is navigating changes in audience preferences, creator dynamics, and competitive pressures.

Kick’s explosive growth

A newcomer to the live streaming scene, Kick has seen remarkable growth in the last year, becoming a serious competitor to more established platforms. In Q3 2024, Kick streamed 7.79 million hours, showing a modest increase of around 31% from the previous quarter. But when it comes to hours watched, the platform has shown an impressive expansion, reaching over 533 million hours watched in Q3 2024. This represents an explosive growth of around 204% from the previous year.

What makes Kick’s growth particularly notable is its rapid increase in average concurrent viewership, which rose from 80,509 viewers in Q2 2023 to 241,806 in Q3 2024. This represents a staggering 200% growth, highlighting Kick’s ability to to attract and retain a growing audience. Despite this impressive trajectory, the platform faces significant challenges as it enters a more competitive phase. As it scales, Kick must continue to innovate, refine its content offerings, and adjust its content moderation policies to ensure it doesn’t run into issues that could hinder its growth.

Twitch’s post-pandemic stabilization

Twitch, long the leader in live streaming, has seen some fluctuations in its metrics since peak viewership during the pandemic. Q3 2024 data reveals that Twitch remains the dominant force in the streaming world with a staggering 211 million hours streamed, well ahead of its competitors. In terms of hours watched, Twitch still holds a commanding lead with 5.14 billion hours watched in Q3 2024, demonstrating the platform’s continued high engagement levels and loyal audience.

However, the post-pandemic era has introduced a period of stabilization for Twitch. After experiencing exponential growth during the pandemic shutdowns, Twitch has faced challenges in maintaining record viewership numbers. While viewership remains strong, it has plateaued in recent months, with no significant increase or decrease in hours watched. The platform’s ability to maintain its huge pool of unique channels is another challenge as the number of creators fluctuated following a pandemic surge, but Twitch’s base of content creators remains robust.

Twitch will need to continue to evolve to maintain its competitive edge. Innovations in features, content diversity and creator incentives are essential to maintain its dominant position in an increasingly crowded market.

The resurgence of YouTube Gaming

YouTube Gaming, which has faced several ups and downs in recent years, is showing promising signs of resurgence. After a slow period following the initial pandemic surge, YouTube Gaming has made significant progress in hours of streaming and viewership. In Q3 2024, YouTube Gaming streamed 14.46 million hours, a huge uptick from previous years. The platform’s recovery can be attributed to several factors, including its integration with the wider YouTube ecosystem and exclusive content offerings, which have contributed to a renewed interest in the platform.

In terms of hours watched, YouTube Gaming saw 1.94 billion hours in Q3 2024, strengthening its position as a formidable competitor to Twitch. The platform’s average concurrent viewership is also showing resilience, with a slight drop in Q3 2024 to 879,868 viewers, but still significantly higher than previous years. In addition, the platform has seen a sharp increase in the number of unique channels, reaching 723,096 in Q3 2024, a remarkable increase of 64% from the previous quarter.

YouTube Gaming’s resurgence points to its strategic advantages, including its expansive reach within YouTube’s broader content ecosystem. As the platform continues to attract both new and established creators, it appears to be well positioned to maintain its upward trajectory in the live streaming space.

Facebook game faces drop

Facebook Gaming, once seen as a major player in the live streaming market, is struggling with a significant drop in numbers. After an initial period of rapid growth, Facebook Gaming has seen a steady decline in hours watched, hours streamed and unique channels. In Q3 2024, the platform recorded just 66.5 million hours watched, a dramatic drop from its peak of 1.29 billion hours in Q3 2021. Similarly, hours streamed have also dropped significantly, from over 20 million in Q2. quarter 2021 to fewer than 500,000 hours in the 3rd quarter 2024.

The drop in Facebook Gaming’s numbers suggests the platform is struggling to maintain its user base and attract new streamers. One of the major challenges for Facebook Gaming is its difficulty in differentiating itself in a market dominated by Twitch and YouTube Gaming. Although it initially benefited from its integration with the Facebook ecosystem, it appears that streaming has not become a central part of Facebook’s offering. As more creators migrate to other platforms, Facebook Gaming may need to rethink its strategy to stay relevant in the competitive live streaming space.

Steam’s constant presence

Known primarily for its gaming marketplace, Steam also plays a vital role in the live streaming ecosystem. Although not as dominant in terms of hours streamed or watched compared to Twitch or YouTube Gaming, Steam has maintained a steady presence in the live streaming market. In Q3 2024, Steam streamed 11.81 million hours and had an average concurrent viewership of about 69,263 viewers. The platform’s watched hours reached over 137 million, which is a significant number compared to smaller players such as Kick and Facebook Gaming.

While Steam’s growth trajectory isn’t as fast as Kick’s or YouTube’s, its stability suggests it’s carved out a reliable niche within the streaming ecosystem. However, challenges remain, especially for smaller creators on Steam who may struggle to gain visibility in a crowded marketplace.

The competitive streaming landscape

The data from Q3 2024 illustrates the highly competitive nature of the live streaming market, with Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Kick and other platforms jockeying for position. While Twitch remains the clear leader in terms of hours watched and streamed, it faces increasing competition from newer platforms like Kick, which have made impressive strides in terms of growth and engagement. YouTube Gaming is also showing a strong recovery, leveraging its integration with YouTube’s broader platform and increasing its share of the streaming audience.

Despite challenges, each platform strives to innovate and adapt to the changing preferences of viewers and creators. For example, Twitch will need to continue to evolve its features and content offerings to keep up with new competitors, while Kick must navigate the challenges of scaling its platform and maintaining a positive community atmosphere. YouTube Gaming, having regained momentum, will need to capitalize on its growing viewership and continue to expand its creator base. Facebook Gaming, on the other hand, must find a way to reverse its decline and re-establish itself as a key player in the live streaming ecosystem.