ReportStreamElements
State of the Stream December/2020 Year in Review
1 Dec 20209 pages~1 min full read
Twitch maintained market dominance in 2020, with the 'Just Chatting' category becoming the most-watched content segment at 1.9 billion hours.
Valorant was the most successful new release of 2020, accumulating 737 million hours watched with a single-month peak of 334 million hours in April.
Established titles remained central to viewership, with League of Legends and Fortnite generating 1.4 billion and 904 million hours watched, respectively.
The livestreaming ecosystem is diversifying beyond gaming, as evidenced by the sustained popularity of non-gaming content and the emergence of breakout viral hits like Among Us (140 million hours) and Fall Guys (106 million hours).
DLive experienced significant growth in 2020, increasing its quarterly viewership from 9.7 million hours in Q1 to a consistent range of 15 to 17 million hours for the remainder of the year.
xQcOW finished 2020 as the most-watched individual streamer on the Twitch platform.
The livestreaming industry experienced unprecedented growth throughout 2020, driven largely by global quarantine measures that accelerated viewership across all major platforms. Twitch remained the dominant force in the market, with the Just Chatting category emerging as the year's most popular content segment, amassing 1.9 billion hours watched. This was followed by established titles like League of Legends at 1.4 billion hours and Fortnite at 904 million hours. While established platforms led the market, nascent services like DLive also saw significant gains, jumping from 9.7 million hours in the first quarter to a consistent range of 15 to 17 million hours for the remainder of the year.
The year was characterized by the rapid rise of new intellectual properties and viral sensations. Valorant led the pack of new releases with 737 million hours watched, achieving a massive peak of 334 million hours in April alone. Other breakout hits included Among Us, which peaked at 140 million hours in September, and Fall Guys, which reached 106 million hours in August. By the end of the year, titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Phasmophobia solidified their positions as top-tier content, while World of Warcraft and Call of Duty: Warzone saw late-year surges in viewership due to new updates and seasonal interest.
Individual creator performance was led by xQcOW, who finished 2020 as the most-watched streamer on Twitch. Data provided by StreamElements and ArsenalGG indicates that the industry is shifting toward a mix of traditional gaming and non-gaming content, with Just Chatting maintaining its lead even as major game releases fluctuate. The final month of the year showed a diverse landscape where new titles like Cyberpunk 2077 competed directly with long-standing staples, reflecting a robust and diversifying ecosystem for digital content creators and brands.
