Livestreamers flock to Twitch, post-mixer

When Microsoft Corp. shut down Mixer in July, the company encouraged the livestreaming service’s stars to move to Facebook Inc. Instead, the majority have migrated to Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch, including Tyler Blevins, the gamer known as Ninja.

Twitch’s market share of hours streamed jumped to 91 per cent in the third quarter, up 15 per cent from the second quarter, according to a report from streaming-software provider Streamlabs, which used data from Stream Hatchet.

Before its shutdown, Mixer held a 14 per cent share of livestreaming content.

Meanwhile, Facebook Gaming’s market share for hours streamed increased by only one per cent, and Youtube Gaming’s actually fell by 1.2 per cent in the third quarter.

In recent months, star players such as Shroud and Faze Ewok moved back to Twitch. Blevins, who has 16 million followers on the site, returned to the service in September.

Streamers like Ninja were on Twitch for years before being lured to Mixer with fat contracts, so the return feels like coming home — both in terms of the audiences and the way the technology works.

“While Youtube and Facebook both provide excellent platforms for livestreamers, it’s just one part of what they offer their audience,” said Ashray Urs, head of product at Streamlabs.

“With Twitch, streaming is at the core, like it was for Mixer. As a result, the audiences are similar, and there is a level of familiarity between these platforms.”

Microsoft had hoped to send Mixer players to Facebook, bolstering a gaming partnership between the two tech giants.