Livestreaming views up 10%+ on last week with more increases expected

Twitch and YouTube Gaming streaming numbers in the US are up by 10 and 15 per cent respectively when compared to just a week ago.

“This past week we saw an increase in livestreaming viewership in Italy and Australia where different approaches have been taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Doron Nir, CEO of livestreaming tools and services provider StreamElements.

“Based on data from our analytics partner Arsenal.gg, we now have a global snapshot of viewership growth. Comparing the most recent weekend and Monday to the same timeframe the previous week, Twitch viewership increased 10 per cent and YouTube Gaming went up by 15 per cent, both of which reflect the popularity of the livestreaming medium now that people are consuming higher volumes of entertainment from home. 

“With more stay-at-home mandates being issued around the world and the entertainment industry finding new ways to migrate their offerings to livestreaming platforms, we expect to see these numbers rise,” Nir added.

A week ago, organisers of E3 – the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) – insisted it was continuing to “plan for a safe and successful” show later this year whilst “actively assessing” the coronavirus outbreak. Now E3 2020 has been cancelled, as has EGX Rezzed, GDC, and both Mojang and Electronic Arts have cancelled scheduled live events. 

Develop:Brighton 2020, however, is still planning to go ahead in June, as is Gamescom. BAFTA has confirmed it’s revising the format on its upcoming Games Awards in light of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), too.

Bungie, EA, Nintendo and now Rockstar have all implemented homeworking to minimise staff exposure to the virus whilst Pokémon Go developer Niantic has made changes to the game to enable players to continue participating even whilst in self-isolation. The increase in people working from home and/or self-isolating, however, has put a strain on online services like Xbox Live and Nintendo Switch Online. 

A number of publishers have teamed up to create GDC Relief Fund to assist indie devs who may have lost money on paying in advance for the now-cancelled GDC.