The competition among streaming platforms has shifted notably in early 2025. New data from StreamsCharts highlights that TikTok Live now commands a larger share of total hours watched than Twitch, marking a major change in the streaming arena. This shift matters for viewers and content creators as platforms evolve and attract audiences.
The latest report from StreamsCharts shows that during the first quarter of 2025, TikTok Live accounted for an impressive 27% of all livestream viewing hours worldwide. In contrast, Twitch captured just 16.3%, placing it third behind YouTube.
It’s important to note that TikTok’s overall user base significantly exceeds Twitch’s, contributing to its broad reach. The platform’s content discovery features give it an edge in attracting viewers quickly, especially outside traditional gaming streams.
Twitch Holds Third Place
YouTube remains the dominant force with over half of global livestream viewership (more than 50%), including a solid 7% slice attributed specifically to YouTube Gaming. Although Twitch trails behind both YouTube and TikTok in watch time, it still leads within the gaming category, holding roughly 12.6% market share for game-related streams.
By comparison, TikTok’s presence within the gaming livestream scene is smaller, at about 3.3%. While many use TikTok primarily for short videos or casual content consumption — often described by some as “doomscrolling” — its role as a platform for live broadcasts is growing steadily.
In the last few months, more esports events have been streamed on TikTok, indicating potential growth opportunities even if gaming is not yet the platform’s primary focus.
TikTok contributed significantly to an overall total of approximately 29.7 billion hours watched across all livestream platforms in Q1 2025—a figure up by nearly 30% compared to the previous quarter. This surge indicates rising viewer engagement despite lingering perceptions about the platform’s typical content nature.
