xQc explains how YouTube can compete with Twitch’s live viewership
xQcOW / Twitch / YouTubePopular Canadian streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has shared his thoughts on how YouTube Gaming can compete with Twitch’s live viewership numbers, as the Amazon platform still dominates.
With the biggest gaming content creators now signing exclusive deals to stream their content on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook, there is often discussion around which site is best for creators.
While it can be difficult to measure the overall success of each platform, new data for “total hours watched” has sparked a debate among the community, and Twitch star xQc is one of the latest to share his opinion on the “Streamer Wars.”
100 Thieves, YouTubeTwitch vs YouTube streaming
Twitch has been known as the go-to platform for live gaming and esports content in recent years, but YouTube Gaming has been making big moves lately. Massive personalities like PewDiePie, Valkyrae, and CouRage are now streaming exclusively on the video-sharing site.
After YouTube’s Head of Gaming Ryan ‘Fwiz’ Wyatt revealed that they had already seen a lot of success with ‘total watch time’ for gaming content, with VODs and video uploads, and that they were “less focused” on live viewership, xQc shared his thoughts on the matter.
xQc, currently one of the most-watched streamers on Twitch, claimed that YouTube’s current approach could be better for converting their videos’ audience into long-term live viewership.
Late to the thread but thought id chime in. Opinion: emulating video format via short lenght events don't make for long term live audience conversion. Creators going live regularely and getting decent analytics return builds a needed foundation. Incentives to watch live is key
— xQc (@xQc) November 1, 2020
“Emulating video format via short length events don’t make for long term live audience conversion,” he explained.
The Twitch star followed up, adding that YouTube could put more of a focus on live content by providing viewers with even more incentives to watch any events when they’re on. “Creators going live regularly and getting decent analytics return builds a needed foundation. Incentives to watch live is key.”
Live audience conversion doesn’t matter when Twitch’s total watched hours are 0.41% of Youtube in gaming content alone. You’re placing arbitrary value on live content. VOD content monetizes better, is more discoverable, and easier to consume. Twitch isn’t even in the real race.
— Devin (@DevinNash) November 1, 2020
However, ex-CLG CEO Devin Nash followed up on the streamer’s take. He added that while Twitch is ahead in live viewership, Fwiz’s focus was understandable, as YouTube’s current format can be easier to monetize. Nash argued that xQc was placing too much value in live viewership over the total amount of hours watched.
While it is clear that each platform has its own strengths, viewers will be interested to see what happens in the battle of livestreaming, and how the playing field could change in the coming years.