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Twitch Statistics 2026: Hours Watched & Market Share

Twitch is still the biggest live-streaming platform in the world — and it is losing its grip faster than at any point in its history. It recorded 19.2 billion hours watched in 2025 and serves 240 million monthly users, but its market share has fallen from roughly 70% to 54% in a single year. Meanwhile Kick surged 131% and YouTube Gaming hit a record 8.8 billion hours. Here's what the data shows.

Twitch and live streaming at a glance

  • 19.2 billion hours watched on Twitch in 2025.
  • Market share: Twitch 54%, YouTube Gaming 24%, Kick 11% (Q2 2025, by hours watched).
  • Twitch's share fell from ~70% to 54% in a year — its largest decline ever.
  • Kick grew 131% to 4.5B hours; YouTube Gaming grew 12% to 8.8B hours.
  • Twitch viewership declined roughly 10% in 2025.
  • 240M monthly active users, 35M daily; ~2.55M average concurrent viewers.

How many hours are watched on Twitch?

Twitch recorded 19.2 billion hours watched in 2025. It maintains an average of over 2.55 million concurrent viewers at any given moment, with peaks regularly exceeding 3 million during major events and esports tournaments. By raw volume it remains the dominant platform for live gaming content — roughly double YouTube Gaming's total.

Twitch's collapsing market share

The trend line is the story. In Q2 2025, Twitch held 54% of live-streaming market share by hours watched — down from about 70% the previous year. That 16-point drop is the steepest market-share loss in the platform's history. Twitch's own viewership fell roughly 10% over 2025, while its two rivals grew.

Live-streaming market share by hours watched (Q2 2025)

  • Twitch54%
  • YouTube Gaming24%
  • Kick11%

Twitch still leads, but its share fell from ~70% a year earlier — the largest decline in its history.

Kick and YouTube Gaming

Kick is the disruptor. It grew 131% to 4.5 billion hours watched in 2025, driven primarily by an aggressive 95/5 revenue split favouring creators — versus the industry-standard 50/50 or 70/30. That economics has pulled high-profile streamers across, and audiences follow talent. YouTube Gaming grew 12% to a record 8.8 billion hours, leaning on YouTube's unmatched discovery, VOD infrastructure and existing creator base.

Twitch's audience

Twitch's global audience is about 240 million monthly active users, with 35 million logging in daily as of 2026. Its stronghold remains gaming and esports broadcasts, where the community, chat culture and tournament rights still concentrate. Those broadcasts overlap heavily with the biggest most played games and the esports viewership figures.

Why Twitch is losing ground

Creator economics, not audience preference. Twitch didn't lose 16 points because viewers stopped liking it — they followed streamers who left for better splits (Kick's 95/5) and better discovery (YouTube's algorithm and VOD reach). In live streaming, supply moves first and demand follows. That makes creator payouts the real competitive battleground, and it's where Twitch is structurally disadvantaged by Amazon's margin expectations.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours are watched on Twitch?

Twitch recorded 19.2 billion hours watched in 2025, with an average of over 2.55 million concurrent viewers and peaks above 3 million during major events.

What is Twitch's market share?

Twitch held 54% of live-streaming market share by hours watched in Q2 2025, down from roughly 70% a year earlier. YouTube Gaming holds 24% and Kick 11%.

Is Kick bigger than Twitch?

No. Kick reached 4.5 billion hours watched in 2025 versus Twitch's 19.2 billion, but Kick grew 131% year over year while Twitch's viewership declined about 10%.

How many users does Twitch have?

Twitch has around 240 million monthly active users and 35 million daily active users as of 2026.

Sources

Note: Hours-watched and market-share figures come from third-party trackers and differ by measurement window. Figures here are the latest available and change each reporting period.