ReportStream Hatchet
Live Streaming Basics: A Comprehensive Introduction
1 Oct 202525 pages~41 min full read
TikTok Live has emerged as a dominant market force with 9.1 billion hours watched, causing Twitch’s market share to drop below 50% for the first time.
See it on page 2Total global live-streaming viewership reached 9.6 billion hours in Q3 2025, marking a 13% year-over-year increase.
See it on page 11Non-gaming content is now the primary driver of viewership with 1.7 billion hours watched, while massive live events like 'La Velada del Año V' set new records with 9.2 million peak concurrent viewers.
See it on page 9Esports viewership grew 8% to 805 million hours, though audiences are increasingly migrating from Twitch to YouTube and TikTok, influenced by events like the Esports World Cup.
See it on page 12High-production marathon events are driving record engagement, exemplified by Kai Cenat’s 'Mafiathon 3' which generated 1.1 million subscriptions and significant brand spikes.
See it on page 17EA Sports FC 26 was the top-performing gaming title of the quarter, accumulating 62.3 million hours watched in its first month of release.
See it on page 14The global live-streaming landscape underwent a transformative shift in the third quarter of 2025, characterized by record-breaking viewership and a significant redistribution of market power. Total viewership reached 9.6 billion hours across traditional platforms, representing a 13% year-over-year increase. However, the most profound development was the emergence of TikTok Live as a dominant force, recording 9.1 billion hours watched and nearly doubling the output of Twitch. This surge reflects a broader consumer pivot toward mobile-integrated content and has resulted in Twitch’s market share falling below 50% for the first time, a decline exacerbated by aggressive internal crackdowns on fraudulent viewbotting.
Content trends during this period favored non-gaming categories and massive live events over traditional gameplay. Non-gaming content led with 1.7 billion hours watched, while Ibai’s *La Velada del Año V* set a new industry benchmark with 9.2 million peak concurrent viewers. Although esports viewership grew by 8% to 805 million hours, the sector saw a notable migration of audiences from Twitch toward YouTube and TikTok, largely driven by the Esports World Cup. In the gaming sector, *EA Sports FC 26* emerged as the quarter's premier release, generating 62.3 million hours watched within its first month.
Individual creator performance and brand integration reached new heights of commercial impact. Kai Cenat dominated the landscape, leading all creators with 91.4 million hours watched and setting a record with 1.1 million subscriptions during his "Mafiathon 3" event. This level of engagement translated into significant brand visibility, as evidenced by a 26,000-mention surge for Crocs during Cenat’s broadcast. While female viewership was led by ExtraEmily and the VTuber category saw Usada Pekora reclaim the top spot, the overarching trend indicates that high-production marathons and cross-platform accessibility are now the primary drivers of growth and monetization in the streaming economy.
