Total Twitch views amount to 148,000 years in duration for H1 2021

Global streaming platform Twitch shows no signs of slowing down after data revealed users cumulatively spent more than 148,000 years watching content creators throughout H1 2021.

Data from Finbold showed viewership totalled 148,300 years in the first six months of the year, with May posting the highest total time at 26,318 years.

From January to May, there were at least nine million active streamers on the platform before that figure slipped to around 8.3 million in June.

Finbold noted the impact of coronavirus-enforced lockdowns and strategic decisions from Twitch as key reasons for the growth.

Finbold said: “Besides the pandemic, Twitch viewership was complemented by other developments around the platform’s business structure. Notably, Twitch introduced the free subscription plan amid the rising popularity.

“Other aspects like improved customer support and features like private chat have offered Twitch an edge over competitors.”

Historically, Twitch was used by streamers to focus on video games but it has seen a rise in alternative mediums.

Finbold said: “Non-gaming content was accelerated amid the pandemic when live events were cancelled, and musicians turned to Twitch, leveraging on the platform’s popularity and monetisation offerings for creators.”

In fact, online casino streaming has grown in popularity on the platform, but has drawn criticism from responsible gambling advocates for glamourising the industry and promoting unregulated offerings.

In August, Twitch moved to ban affiliate links and referrals for online gambling as it looked to crack down on the promotion.

In a statement, Twitch said: “To prevent harm and scams created by questionable gambling services that sponsor content on Twitch, we will prohibit sharing links and/or referral codes to sites that offer slots, roulette or dice games.

“We will continue to monitor gambling-related content and update our approach as needed.”