ReportStream Hatchet
Live-Streaming Trends Report: Q1 2024
1 Mar 202418 pages~9 min full read
Global live-streaming viewership reached 8.2 billion hours in Q1 2024, marking a 10% year-over-year increase and the first Q1 growth since 2021.
Twitch maintains a 69% market share, though its dominance is being challenged by YouTube Gaming, Kick, and Steam, the latter of which doubled its hours watched this quarter.
Twitch’s exit from South Korea triggered a successful migration of viewers to local platforms, specifically AfreecaTV and the rapidly growing Chzzk.
Palworld became the quarter's top game launch with 95 million hours watched in its first 30 days, while Grand Theft Auto V reclaimed the top spot for overall viewership.
The First-Person Shooter (FPS) genre led all content categories in Q1 2024, bolstered by major esports tournaments for Counter-Strike and VALORANT.
Co-streaming remains a critical growth strategy for top creators, while the female and VTuber segments saw significant expansion driven by trending titles like Palworld and GTA V.
The live-streaming industry experienced a significant resurgence in the first quarter of 2024, with global viewership reaching 8.2 billion hours watched. This represents a 10% year-over-year increase and marks the first Q1 growth since 2021, signaling a recovery from the post-pandemic decline. While Twitch remains the dominant platform with a 69% market share, its lead narrowed as competitors like YouTube Gaming and Kick gained ground. Notably, Steam emerged as a breakout platform by doubling its hours watched, largely driven by developers using the service to market new releases.
Geographic shifts were prominent in South Korea following Twitch’s exit from the market. Local platforms AfreecaTV and the Naver-backed newcomer Chzzk successfully absorbed the displaced audience, with Chzzk showing rapid growth and high creator retention. In terms of content, Palworld dominated as the top game launch of the quarter, generating 95 million hours watched in its first 30 days and outperforming 2023’s major hits. Grand Theft Auto V reclaimed the overall top spot among games, while the First-Person Shooter (FPS) genre led all categories due to high-profile esports tournaments for Counter-Strike and VALORANT.
The analysis highlights a diversifying creator landscape where co-streaming major events remains a primary driver for top talent like Gaules and Jynxzi. In the female and VTuber segments, established names like Amouranth and Pekora Ch. reclaimed top rankings, while new entrants leveraged trending titles like Palworld and GTA V to achieve triple-digit growth. This data, compiled by Stream Hatchet, utilizes metrics such as hours watched and average concurrent viewers across all major global streaming platforms to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of digital broadcast media.
