Technology, a tool and determining factor in the day-to-day lives of youth, has led to a shift away from traditional entertainment consumption. This, in turn, has led to competition to attract young people to move to apps and platforms where audiovisual content is made and away from television. Now, streaming has become an increasingly popular channel, and not just among gamers, but also former YouTubers, who’ve gone from recording themselves to live transmission.
In late June, presenter Ibai Llanos live-streamed via Twitch the “Velada del Año 2” (“Evening of the Year 2)”, a sporting event in which famous personalities from social networks and the internet face each other in boxing ring. The event, held at the Badalona Olympic Pavilion, registered a peak of 3.3 million simultaneously connected devices, surpassing the record held by fellow streamer “The Grefg,” who drew 2.5 million viewers for a Fortnite-related event.
The enormous audience the event drew demonstrates the boom that this type of material has had in recent years. The content, produced on platforms like Twitch, has become increasingly popular and has changed what people (especially the young population) find interesting.
A new audiovisual option
Although YouTube still dominates the world of videos, other applications, mainly Twitch, have managed to carve out a market niche just where YouTube lacks a presence: in live streaming. The fifth edition of the International Journal of Communication mentions that, in order to understand the rise of this phenomenon in recent years, one of the main aspects to consider has to do with video games.
Similarly, the social aspect streaming offers is another characteristic other studies have examined to explain the popularity of the medium. “When a streamer is playing a game, he can connect with his audience and thereby create a community,” the article mentions. Finally, the authors define Twitch as an audiovisual medium that simultaneously combines two communication channels: live video streaming and text communication via chat.
This direct and almost instantaneous communication between the broadcaster and the audience turns the consumer into a “pro-sumer,” since the streamer can interact and directly influence the content his audience is viewing, and by doing so, give it added value that before was impossible to offer.
It’s no mystery that video games were what initially made streaming popular, especially among younger audiences. A study published in the scientific journal Papeles del Psicólogo explains that among the motivations that lead young people to play them is the possibility of living an adventure first-hand, where strategies are put into practice in a virtual environment without real-life consequences; they learn skills related to technology and computer science; you can play them in a comfortable environment; they are accessible and affordable; and can be played in a group or alone.
Creative freedom and the convenience Twitch offers for producing content has sparked many YouTube content creators to migrate to the platform
From YouTube to Twitch
The rise and popularity of “the purple platform” (as Twitch is known for its iconic color) has gradually taken over more and more of the youth entertainment industry. According to data from a Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet report, in the third quarter of 2021 Twitch had pooled 70.5% of the live video viewing hours globally.
This panorama led several YouTube content creators to migrate to Twitch. The Spanish YouTubers Auronplay and El Rubius are two of the most representative examples. Both migrated from the Google-owned platform to enter the live entertainment business.
Creative freedom and the ease the platform offers when it comes to content production are some of the motivating factors behind big-name YouTubers’ migration to Twitch. “For now, my days on YouTube are over,” said Auronplay; “Now I do what I like.”
Another one of the incentives behind the migration is the magnitude of the profits it offers. According to an article in the financial newspaper El Economista, in October 2021 Auronplay was at the top of the ranking, with earnings hitting €3 million, while those of El Rubius reached €1.5 million.
Twitch garners attention
Streaming has emerged as a “new” communication phenomenon that has revolutionized the way content was consumed up until now. This important revolution has drawn the attention of traditional media and has put Twitch front and center in the press, television and radio.
Authors Juan Francisco Gutiérrez Lozano and Antonio Cuartero of the University of Malaga mention that, along with other forms of streaming, there has also been growth in news coverage on the platform, especially sports and video games-related coverage.
However, this growth didn’t happen serendipitously. The study states: “An increase in news coverage on the platform is not visible until March 2020, when COVID-19 confinement mandates were first enacted. In particular, Twitch came out of the shadows when Formula 1 and LaLiga took their competitions online via live streaming on the platform.”
This fusion of the old and new proves live content is here to stay. There are more and more people enjoying this form of entertainment and many others deciding to create some sort of audiovisual content themselves. Creative freedom, live interaction and the flexibility it offers are just some of the characteristics which have given streaming its prominent place in the world of entertainment consumption We’ll have to wait and see how long it will stay on top before it’s dethroned by another contender.
Translated from Spanish by Lucia K. Maher