State of the Stream for September 2021: New World has solid launch, ASMR continues its ascent, and kato_junichi0817 soars up the charts
Welcome to the State of the Stream where we share the latest streaming data around platforms, content creators, and related trends. The following report features narratives crafted by StreamElements based on data courtesy of our friends at Rainmaker.gg.
Click HERE to download a pdf and hi-res slides of the report.
Platform traffic dips but still a far cry from pre-pandemic numbers
Both Twitch and Facebook Gaming decreased in hours watched by small increments, but they are still in a great place compared to where the industry was pre-pandemic. Twitch increased 20% in hours watched year-over-year, while Facebook Gaming is up 50%. Before the pandemic, Twitch’s peak was 1 billion hours watched and in September 2021, they were at 1.7 billion.
New World had an impressive debut that cracked the top 10 and is still doing well over 2 weeks later
Game launches often follow a pattern which is huge viewership numbers on day 1 and then a gradual slide that can lead to healthy plateau or make it a flash in the pan. While it’s too soon to make any long term claims about New World, more than two weeks after its amazing launch it is still in the top 10 and some of the biggest streamers are still organically playing it. These are great signs!
ASMR is the rare major category that has shown no decline in hours watched this year
ASMR has bucked the trend of most major categories by having consistent growth all year long with more than 12 million hours watched in September. 3.3 million of that can be attributed to category mainstay Amouranth who has devoted several hundred hours to streaming it the last couple of months. Although MarineMammalRescue is in a distant 2nd place, it is still boasting impressive numbers for its serene aquatic sounds. Also adding something unique to the category is Fire_Kitchen who has turned the art of cutting vegetables, cooking meat, and other culinary moves into a nice alternative to all the ear licking.
kato_junichi0817's increased focus on Apex Legends blasted him up the charts
xQcOW remains solid on his throne at the top, but it was the top 10’s newest addition that was this month’s standout. kato_junichi0817 (加藤純一です) is a Japanese streamer whose amazing Apex Legends gameplay resulted in 7.7M hours watched and launched him from the #65 spot to #10. The previous month he was watched 2.3M hours, so this represented an astounding 232% increase.
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