Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Stream Hatchet
Live-streaming consumption reached over nine billion hours in Q2 2025, a five percent year-over-year increase driven by YouTube Gaming's record 2.2 billion hours watched.
Twitch’s market share declined by 4.6 percent, causing its quarterly viewership to drop below five billion hours for the first time in nearly five years.
Kick grew its viewership share by 5.5 percent during Q2 2025, bolstered by the platform's active creator-incentive programs.
Esports viewership rose six percent to a record 729 million hours, even as the total number of tournaments contracted by 37 percent.
Audience engagement in esports is shifting away from traditional tournament structures toward mobile titles, co-streaming, and creator-led event formats.
Virtual personalities are gaining significant influence, evidenced by VTuber Usada Pekora becoming the most-subscribed creator in the second quarter of 2025.
Growth is increasingly driven by hybrid content formats that integrate gaming with established intellectual properties and cross-genre collaborations.
Live-streaming consumption reached over nine billion hours in Q2 2025, a five percent year-over-year increase driven by YouTube Gaming's record 2.2 billion hours watched.
Twitch’s market share declined by 4.6 percent, causing its quarterly viewership to drop below five billion hours for the first time in nearly five years.
Kick grew its viewership share by 5.5 percent during Q2 2025, bolstered by the platform's active creator-incentive programs.
Esports viewership rose six percent to a record 729 million hours, even as the total number of tournaments contracted by 37 percent.
Audience engagement in esports is shifting away from traditional tournament structures toward mobile titles, co-streaming, and creator-led event formats.
Virtual personalities are gaining significant influence, evidenced by VTuber Usada Pekora becoming the most-subscribed creator in the second quarter of 2025.
Growth is increasingly driven by hybrid content formats that integrate gaming with established intellectual properties and cross-genre collaborations.