Amazon’s Twitch.tv has been in the news lately. The live-streaming platform now claims 17.5 million daily visitors and saw record-breaking increases in the amount of hours people are spending on the site since January.
CivicScience tracking shows a 30% spike in Twitch viewers in Q2 of this year. Surveying more than 151,400 U.S. residents (ages 13+) shows that viewership peaked in May at 13%.
It can be assumed that lockdowns led more people into the Twitch universe (and to play more video games in general), seeking new forms of entertainment to combat boredom and social isolation. The platform dominates the market share of game streaming, where users can stream live gameplay to the public and watch others play. Twitch also hosts eSports and gaming competitions, music streaming, as well as people just hanging out and chatting. Viewers can communicate with streamers in real-time through live chat.
Twitch is apparently so popular that yes, even President Trump has an account.
While the survey shows the spike in viewers has leveled off since May as lockdowns eased, Twitch is still expected to continue to grow, along with its key competitors: Google’s YouTube Gaming, Microsoft’s Mixer, and Facebook Gaming. Non-gaming brands, such as Bounty and Hershey, have been getting in on the action, seeing Twitch’s untapped advertising potential.
And for good reason; the survey reveals that Twitch viewers are significantly more likely than non-viewers to say that the majority of digital advertisements they see are relevant to them. They are also more likely to buy products based on social media influence.
That said, who is the Twitch viewer and which brands have the most appeal to them? CivicScience took a deeper dive into the Twitch user base. Read on for a few key insights from the study.
Twitch is Gen Z Territory
The Twitch target demographic is Gen Z first, Millennial second. The survey shows that Gen Z makes up 43% of the Twitch viewership base, while Millennials make up 27%.
Even though just around 10% of the overall population watches Twitch, close to one-quarter of 13- to 24-year-olds watch Twitch with some level of frequency.
Bounty for the Win
Earlier this year, Bounty paper towels teamed up with well-followed Twitch streaming personalities to advertise on the platform, hoping to reach gamers who need to clean up drinks and snacks spilled while gaming.
A survey of more than 1,300 adults shows that Bounty is less liked among Twitch viewers than among non-viewers.
However, Bounty wins among viewers when compared to Brawny paper towels.
Interested in what types of drinks and snacks win big with Twitch users? Look for the second part of this study on Monday, July 13.
