Esports Streaming Is Up 41% Over the Last Year
Esports streaming has boomed in popularity over the last 12 months according to an analysis of platforms like Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Mixer that found a 41% increase in streaming.
The analysis from StreamHatchet, which provides insight for key players in the esports and gaming space and is sort of like ComScore but for video game streaming, found an incredible 746 million more hours watched compared to the previous year.
Also Read: 'Fortnite' Star Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins Exits Twitch to Livestream for Microsoft's Mixer
The power of esports has been demonstrated by a few large-scale events in 2019. In June, United Talent Agency announced it had added Travis Mynard, formerly of Riot Games, to its burgeoning esports management division. Microsoft’s streaming service Mixer became the top free app on Apple’s App Store following Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ August announcement that he was leaving Twitch to join the rival platform. Just five days after announcing the move, Ninja revealed he already had 1 million Mixer subscribers.
Also in August, ESPN postponed its broadcast coverage of the X Games “Apex Legends” EXP Invitational that was originally scheduled to air on the network due to the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. In “Apex Legends,” players collect weapons and shoot one another until there is only one player or team left standing.
That ESPN airs multiplayer video game competitions at all should be evidence enough that esports are a big business, but valued at $1 billion, it’s only getting bigger.
Read original story Esports Streaming Is Up 41% Over the Last Year At TheWrap
