Streamers

How managing data can make your channel grow. This article is an extract from our 2018 Trends Report.

What is it about?

Streamers are creators specializing in live video broadcasts on digital platforms. Live streaming often allows the audience to interact directly with the streamer via instant messaging. Streamers cover a wide range of topics but one of the most popular is live video game broadcasts where the streamer simultaneously narrates the gameplay.

With the dramatic rise in eSports, demand for video game content is booming. Worldwide revenues for 2017 are estimated at $US4.6 billion and the user base (currently at 665 million followers) is expected to grow by 21% by 2021. Video game content platform Twitch has 100 million active users, with 15 million of them spending an average of 106 minutes on a daily basis. To capitalize on this trend and capture the attention of such a huge audience, digital platforms are competing fiercely to entice streamers with analytical tools and various revenue sources.

Why is it important to our industries?

Unlike conventional methods of distributing film, radio, or television, online distribution can provide a direct connection between content and consumer, so you can collect accurate data on the composition of your audience as well as on how and when they interact with your content. Analytics can help producers and creators better understand their audience to optimize their content and marketing. The direct connection also allows you to modify content in real time based on those actually consuming it. In addition to collecting data about their own content, producers and creators can also use publicly available data (through services like Google Trends, social media platforms, or private analytics companies) to better understand current trends and the improvements that will make a given project more attractive to a given audience.

The case of streamers is especially noteworthy. They have become masters at the art of analyzing user data to the point where they can actually adapt their performance in real time. Access to data puts creators in control, allowing them to make changes based on how the audience interacts with their content. So, there is something here to learn for all those who produce digital content for direct distribution to users.

Interesting facts

It’s not just video game content broadcasters that are popular in the world of live streaming. In South Korea, the trend of live-streaming mukbang artists eating large meals can earn their creators US$10,000 a month for their efforts.

Go deeper

  • Take a guided tour of the Twitch dashboard with tips on using statistics to grow your channel.
  • Take an interactive NFB tour into the world of Streamers talks.

Worth following

Twitch is diversifying its business by offering free live marathons of traditional television shows where viewers are invited to participate through a group instant messaging window. Something for everyone on the menu: The Joy of Painting, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, or all 831 episodes from the 23 seasons of Power Rangers.


Industry & Market Trends | Veille stratégique
The Industry and Market Trends team is composed of Director Catherine Mathys, analysts Pierre Tanguay and Sabrina Dubé-Morneau, as well as editorial coordinator Laurianne Désormiers. Once a year, the team publishes a Trends Report that draws a portrait of the macro trends that are shaping today’s screen-based industries.
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