The battle to be the best streaming platform is a never-ending one, and a recent report published by StreamsCharts shows that Twitch is losing said fight. It was revealed that in Q1 2025, TikTok Live skyrocketed, almost doubling Twitch’s market share in terms of hours watched.
It must be stressed right out of the gate that TikTok has more users than Twitch by far, and the platform’s discoverability mechanics are superior. Even still, TikTok Live was able to secure 27% of all stream hours watched in Q1 2025, while Twitch managed to scrounge up a measly 16.3%.
Third Fiddle
Twitch sits in third place behind YouTube and TikTok in the wider streaming market, according to a report published by StreamsCharts. If you’re wondering where Kick.com is, that platform sits in fourth place with around 2.9% of all watch hours in Q1 2025.
The data revealed that YouTube has a claim on more than 50% of all viewership, with YouTube Gaming securing 7% of that. Twitch is still the top dog when it comes to gaming, though. The Amazon-backed platform might have only secured 16.3% of the viewership base, but it had 12.6% of the gaming market.
That’s compared to TikTok’s 3.3% of the gaming viewership scene.
TikTok has been getting stronger in the gaming space, but most people use it as a separate revenue stream rather than a focus. In the last few months, we’ve seen more esports tournaments surface on the app, but it’s still seen as a platform for doomscrolling and brainrot content rather than it is meaningful streams.
TikTok is getting betteras a livestreaming platform, though. It contributed massively to the staggering 29.7 billion hours watched in Q1 2025, with a 30% increase over the previous quarter.
That’s some impressive traffic.
Do you find yourself consuming live content on TikTok? Let me know your platform of choice in the comments, or hit us up on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Arthur Morgan’s voice actor wants a Red Dead Redemption 2 60 FPS patch
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Been so. TikTok better Musk need to buy it. Twitch should shut down. Parti, Rumble, X, and Kick better. Parti growing to be the best platform for streaming.