Although 2022 saw the first drop in live streaming viewership, with the total number of hours watched across major streaming platforms falling by 4.5 billion year-over-year, the global live game streaming audience is set to continue growing this year.
According to data presented by CasinosEnLigne.com, more than 1.1 billion people worldwide are expected to watch the live game streaming in 2023, up from 980 million last year.
China, US, and Japan to Witness Double-Digit Viewership Growth
The industry of watching other people play video games continues to surge in popularity, and Statista data confirm that. Three years ago, when lockdown rules and COVID-19 restrictions made live broadcasts even more attractive, the number of people watching live game streaming jumped by 15% YoY and hit 680 million worldwide.
The impressive growth continued in 2021, which saw 820 million viewers, showing a massive 20% increase year-over-year. Statista data show 2022 saw just as impressive 19% annual increase, with the number of people watching live game streams rising to 980 million.
Although user growth is expected to slow down this year, the number of live game streaming fans will still jump by 17% or 170 million year-over-year.
The Statista survey also showed that all major markets will see a double-digit viewership growth this year. China, the world`s largest live game streaming market, will see a 20% YoY increase, with the number of viewers jumping to 367 million, or one-third of the world`s total.
The number of viewers in the United States, the second-largest market, is forecast to grow by 13% year-over-year to 66.3 million. Japan follows with 37.8 million live game streaming viewers in 2023 and a huge 22% annual increase. Statista data show the UK market, as the fourth largest globally, will hit close to 30 million users in the live game streaming segment, or 16% more than last year.
Live Game Streaming Revenues Doubled in Three Years
The surging demand for live game streaming content, as a core part of the gaming experience for many, remains the biggest driver behind impressive revenue growth.
According to Statista data, in 2019, live game streaming revenues, including live streaming advertising, like ads on Twitch, subscriptions or donations to streamers, and sponsorships for a special status of streamers, amounted to $5.8bn worldwide, showing a 12% annual growth. In 2020, global live game streaming revenues jumped by 16% to 6.7bn. Still, that was nothing compared to the growth seen in the past two years.
Statistics show 2021 and 2022 saw an impressive 20% year-over-year growth, with global live game streaming revenues rising to $9.7bn. This figure is expected to grow by another 20% in 2023, with total revenues reaching almost $11.7bn, or double the figure seen in 2020.
