Twitch reaches 2.1 billion watch hours in April, usurping its own record. Thus, making it the third time Twitch’s Watch Hour Record is Broken in 2021.
Twitch reaches 2.1 billion watch hours in April, usurping its own record. Thus, making it the third time Twitch’s Watch Hour Record is Broken in 2021.
Twitch continues to grow in viewership in 2021. The platform is reaching record high numbers in watch hours, hitting 2.1 billion in April alone.
Twitch’s Watch Hour Record Continues To Change
With multiple different esports events resurfacing and people home more often, it is perfect for Twitch. People have more time to themselves throughout the day. As a result, Twitch Watch Hours are starting to rise.
Furthermore, Facebook Gaming, Twitch’s main rival, continues to remain stagnant in it’s growth.
Twitch’s Watch Hour Record Breaking Through Just Chatting
The primary reason for Twitch’s Watch Hour Record continuing to change is through Just Chatting. The category niche of streamers just speaking to the camera is now developing into a popular more generalised category. The Just Chatting category alone pulls in over 283 million hours. That 283 million equates to around 13 percent of Twitch’s Watch Hour Record in April.
Many streamers are seeing the value in creating honest conversation with their viewers on top of streaming games. Instead of just focusing on gameplay, many viewers seem to appreciate an open floor to talk to these streamers. To add on, the new virtual streaming niche is continuing to see progression, which often delves into the Just Chatting category. New Virtual Streamers like CodeMiko are noticing this and viewers are appreciating the newfound niche.
The Remaining Top Ten in Twitch’s Watch Hour Record in April
The second highest category in watch hours is Grand Theft Auto V. GTA V finishes with 236 million watch hours in April. The game itself is experiencing a 30 percent increase from March 2021. As a result, it is able to surpass League of Legends to become the second most-watched category on Twitch.
The Top 10 Categories apart of Twitch’s Watch Hour Record in April can be found below.
Just Chatting and Grand Theft Auto V hold a lot of viewership. Image via StreamElements.
After League of Legends, the other games in the top ten fall below the 100m watch hour mark. However, the top games like Call of Duty: Warzone and Dota 2 continue to see monthly growth. Meanwhile, others like Fornite, Valorant, CS:GO, Minecraft and Apex Legends are seeing a slight decline.
Twitch's Sports Category Starting to Develop
While not in the top 10, a growing niche on Twitch is the Sports Category. The category was able to surpass 10 million watch hours for the first time in April. Throughout Twitch’s Watch Record changes, the Sports category continues to grow. After experiencing a dip in viewership in April, the category saw a rise in watch hours in March. Now, the category is looking to make a climb up towards the top 10 in the future.
With the Esports Olympics starting to formulate, the sports category should continue to see growth in total watch hours. And who knows, maybe the category could receive some help from some of the Just Chatting streamers in the future.
What do you think of Twitch’s Watch Hour Record in April? Are you surprised by any of the new changes in the month? Let us know what you think.
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