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Non-gaming content is rapidly growing on Twitch – to the extent that it is outperforming the growth of the platform itself, according to StreamElements’ Q3 State of the Stream report.
Twitch’s ‘Just Chatting’ category, intended for conversations between streamers and viewers with no requirement for video game content, has grown 36% based on views since its launch in September 2018 – outpacing Twitch’s growth rate as a whole, growing four times as fast. In fact, ‘Just Chatting’ is the only category this year to consistently increase in hours watched quarter over quarter.
Speaking about the remarkable growth of non-gaming content on Twitch, StreamElements CEO Doron Nir stated: “This is significant because it shows where Twitch is heading and opens the door to more non-endemic brands given that influencers who use the category are more conversational and provide more opportunities not tethered to game play.”
Other takeaways from the report, which focuses on the top platforms, gamers, streamers and trends in the livestreaming space, include the impact of Mixer signing an exclusivity deal with popular streamer Ninja. According to the report, while the deal had little impact on platform growth, but generated huge awareness of the platform due to the global media coverage.
The report comes as Twitch, Youtube Gaming and Mixer all saw their lowest number of hours watched for Q3 in September, though this is a traditionally slower month of the year. The one exception to this trend was Facebook gaming, which saw a massive 41% growth in September, due to its increasing popularity in APAC, Latin America and Europe.
