A new report by SuperData Research has shown that we watch more gaming vids than movies on popular sites like Netflix
The report has concluded some pretty impressive statistics about what kind of videos we watch online. They have concluded that in total, more gaming vids are watched than any other video content found on popular streaming sites such as Hulu and Netflix – so, apparently, we really do like watching other people play games!
What kind of statistics does the report show us?
The report has concluded that the worldwide ”gaming video content” audience consists of around 665 million people. They have even said that this number is getting bigger and bigger, with a prediction of the number increasing by 21% from now until 2021. That suggests over 800 million people will watch gaming videos in 2021, which is a pretty damn big number! Apparently, in February, League of Legends was the most watched game, with around 100 million hours of watched footage within just the one month.
Interestingly, the report also showed that 54% of these 665 million viewers are male, leaving woman to account for the other 46% - giving a fairly equal split between the two genders. It was also found that those who do watch gaming videos generally earn more money – and they like to spend that money, too.
In fact, it has been estimated that gamers who watch such gaming videos spend over $70 per month on games, including in-game content. This is compared to gamers who don’t watch gaming videos who, on average, spend 56% less.
What does this mean for the livestreaming business?
This of course, means one thing for the livestreaming business – ka-ching! The streaming company Twitch is certainly going to be one of the biggest earners from this, with it currently being one of the biggest earners in the livestreaming field anyway. Though, as SuperData reports, this is actually surprising – Twitch earns around 37% of revenue linked with video game livestreaming, yet only 16% of gaming video viewers use Twitch as a mean of watching gaming videos.
This year alone, SuperData predicts that the livestreaming business will earn, in total, $4.6 billion, which is an insane amount of money. No wonder there are so many gamers out there who want to have a go at livestreaming video games themselves! Talk about doing what you love.
I’m personally amazed by this incredible report by SuperData. It is very interesting to see that gaming videos are more popular than Netflix, Hulu and HBO combined. But, let’s be honest, nothing beats a good hour or so watching somebody else play your favourite game – it’s a great way to learn new techniques and see how other people solve challenges that you have already done yourself in the game.
