Live streaming has evolved from a niche hobby into a booming global industry by 2025. From gamers on Twitch to live shopping events in Asia, billions of people now tune in to live video content every week. This article compiles the latest live streaming statistics and trends worldwide – covering usage, market size, platform leaders, and viewer habits – to paint a clear picture of where live streaming stands today. All data is drawn from recent industry reports and studies for an up-to-date, general-audience overview of this dynamic sector.
The live streaming industry is booming worldwide, with explosive growth since 2020. Industry analysts estimate the global live streaming market at $99–100 billion in 2024. For perspective, that’s about a fourfold increase from just five years ago.
Looking ahead, forecasts are very bullish – one projection sees the market expanding to $345 billion by 2030, sustaining an annual growth rate of over 23%. This growth reflects both surging audience numbers and new monetization models, from ad revenue and subscriptions to virtual gifts and e-commerce integration.
This boom was catalyzed in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed many events and activities online. Even as in-person events returned, live streaming has kept growing. In fact, 2024 marked a return to growth in viewership after a post-pandemic plateau – total hours watched in 2024 jumped 12% year-on-year (the first uptick since 2021).
Viewership in 2024 was approximately double that of 2019, highlighting how much the live streaming audience has expanded over the past few years. Simply put, far more people are now tuning into live content regularly, and they’re watching for longer periods.
Several factors are driving this sustained growth. Broader internet access and better bandwidth (especially mobile and 5G) have made high-quality live video more accessible globally. Streaming technology improvements (low-latency video, interactive features) keep viewers engaged.
And critically, content variety has expanded – today there are live streams for every interest, from gaming tournaments and concerts to cooking demos, sports, news, and shopping events. This diversification means live streaming now reaches many demographics and use-cases, fueling continued audience and market expansion.
Live streaming has firmly entered the media mainstream in terms of audience reach and engagement. As of late 2024, about 28.5% of all internet users worldwide watch live streams each week. This means roughly one in four people online are tuning into live video content on a weekly basis – a massive reach that only a few years ago was unthinkable. (For comparison, this weekly reach peaked around 30% in 2021 during the height of pandemic lockdowns, dipped slightly as routines normalized, and now hovers in the high-20s percentage range.)
Not only are lots of people watching live streams, they’re also spending significant time on live content. The average viewing session for a live video is about 25.4 minutes, which is considerably longer than the typical on-demand video session. One analysis found that viewers spend 8 times longer watching live streams than recorded on-demand videos.
The unedited, real-time nature of live video tends to hold attention better – people often watch entire live events or streams, whereas on-demand clips might be sampled more briefly. Additionally, live streams get about 10% more engagement than pre-recorded videos (through comments, likes, shares), likely due to the interactive chat and “in the moment” excitement live content offers.
Engagement drivers for live audiences include the sense of authenticity, the ability to interact with creators or other viewers in real time, and the FOMO (fear of missing out) factor – knowing that anything can happen live and you need to watch now or miss it. A DataReportal survey noted that 3 in 10 people cited “watching live streams” as a primary reason they use social media, underlining how live video has become a key part of the online experience.
Another notable trend is where and how people watch live streams. While traditionally live streaming was associated with desktop PCs (e.g. gamers on Twitch), today a growing share of viewing is on mobile devices. About 27% of live stream viewing hours globally are on mobile (smartphones or tablets), with the remainder on larger screens like desktops, laptops, or connected TVs.
Mobile’s share has been rising as streaming apps and mobile networks improve, enabling high-quality broadcasts from anywhere. At the same time, big-screen viewing is also common for certain content – for example, in the U.S., a majority of younger adults have at times watched live streams on their television (via smart TV apps or casting). Viewers are essentially choosing the most convenient screen available – mobile for on-the-go or casual viewing and TV/PC for a more comfortable, long-form experience.
A few major platforms dominate the live streaming landscape in 2025, each carving out a niche. Twitch (owned by Amazon) pioneered live game streaming and still holds the crown for total watch time: in 2024, Twitch accounted for roughly 61% of all live-streaming hours watched worldwide. Twitch viewers collectively watch on the order of 71 million hours of content per day, and the platform reports around 31 million daily active users.
It remains the destination for gaming and esports content, with over 7 million unique streamers going live each month. The core Twitch demographic skews young adult (the majority of users are 20–39 years old), and it’s especially popular in Western markets – for instance, 47% of U.S. gamers watch live gaming on Twitch.
That said, YouTube has leveraged its massive user base to become the most widely used live streaming platform globally. An estimated 52% of live stream viewers worldwide use YouTube Live, making it the top platform by reach (even if not all those users watch live content exclusively on YouTube).
YouTube’s advantage is its ubiquity and variety – many musicians, events, and influencers stream on YouTube to tap into its billions of users. In terms of content, YouTube is second to Twitch in gaming but rapidly growing: YouTube’s gaming section saw 922 million hours of live gaming content watched in a recent quarter, and over 41 million hours of new live game content streamed, indicating a vibrant creator community. Outside of gaming, YouTube Live hosts everything from church services to product launches and concerts, contributing to its broad appeal.
Facebook Live also maintains a significant footprint. About 42.6% of live stream viewers use Facebook Live, according to one global survey, making it the third-largest platform by audience reach. Facebook Live is especially popular for casual personal streams and community events, and it has an older audience skew compared to Twitch – in the U.S., Facebook Live is the top platform for live video among users age 35+.
YouTube Live and Instagram Live follow closely in popularity, each used by roughly one-third of live stream viewers globally. These mobile-native platforms attract younger viewers and focus on shorter, spontaneous streams – for example, influencers doing Q&As or behind-the-scenes glimpses. The integration of live streaming into social media apps has been a major trend: going live is now a one-tap feature on most social networks, which has greatly expanded the live content ecosystem.
Meanwhile, newer platforms and regional players are also carving out space. The rapid rise of TikTok Live is notable – TikTok’s overall user base is huge, and live streams on the app (ranging from comedy skits to live selling) have drawn enough viewership that TikTok Live reportedly surpassed Twitch in total hours watched in early 2025 (when including its massive Asian audience).
In the gaming sphere, Kick (a Twitch-like platform launched in 2022) experienced a surge in 2024, capturing about 5–6% of global live stream watch hours. Kick’s growth was dramatic – hours watched on the platform more than doubled from 2023 to 2024 – driven by a few star streamers and a creator-friendly revenue split.
We’re also seeing regional streaming services gain traction: for example, after Twitch withdrew from South Korea, local platforms like AfreecaTV, SOOP, and Chingari in Asia or Trovo in Latin America have grown their niche audiences. All told, while a handful of giants dominate, the platform landscape is more diverse than ever, giving creators and viewers plenty of choices.
What kinds of live streams are people watching in 2025? The content has become incredibly diverse, but a few categories stand out:
Gaming remains the single biggest driver of live streaming viewership. Competitive video games and streamers playing games attract huge audiences. In 2024, the most-watched games on streaming platforms were titles like Grand Theft Auto V (~2.0 billion hours watched) and League of Legends (~1.9 billion hours).
Major esports events routinely draw millions of concurrent viewers – for instance, the 2024 League of Legends World Championship peaked at 6.7 million live viewers worldwide. Industry analysts estimate the global gaming live streaming audience will hit 1.4 billion people by 2025, more than double the number from 2020. This reflects not just the popularity of watching others play games, but also the strong communities and personalities on gaming streams that keep fans coming back daily.
Live concerts, music performances, and festival streams have surged in popularity, especially via platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Music videos are still the top online video content overall, but live music streams offer a different level of fan engagement. Outside of music, other entertainment formats like talk shows, comedy streams, and even live reality content (e.g. people streaming their daily lives) have found sizable audiences.
Live streaming is now the 3rd most popular video content format globally, behind only music videos and short viral clips. Live streams have a higher weekly reach than traditional videos like how-tos, product reviews, or vlogs, underscoring a broad appetite for real-time content across genres.
Many people now turn to live streams for news updates or sports. In the U.S., for example, about 34% of live stream viewers said they primarily watch breaking news live streams, and around 29% watch live sports games or matches. News outlets frequently live-stream major events or press conferences on social media.
Similarly, sports leagues stream games and commentary, sometimes on their own platforms or via deals with Twitch/YouTube. The immediacy of live coverage makes it ideal for these topics. Live sports streaming in particular has grown as more cord-cutters seek alternatives to cable TV – globally, the sports streaming market is valued at about $33.9 billion as of 2025 and rising as more viewers go online for live sports.
The pandemic accelerated the trend of moving events and classes online, and it’s now standard for conferences, trade shows, and educational workshops to have live streaming components. Corporate webinars, Apple-style product launch events, university lectures – you name it, it’s being streamed.
The result is a huge virtual events industry: one analysis pegged the virtual events market at ~$98 billion in 2024, with a forecast of nearly $300 billion by 2030. Even as physical gatherings return, hybrid events (with both in-person and online audiences) are here to stay, allowing organizers to reach a global audience in real time.
On the more casual end, millions of individuals stream everyday content – from a creator chatting with followers over coffee to a family broadcasting a celebration. These personal streams, often on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, have made “going live” a social staple. Friends share moments as they happen, influencers do spontaneous Q&As, and niche communities (book clubs, hobbyists, etc.) connect via live video. This trend has made live streaming a routine extension of social media use for many people.
Finally, a fast-emerging content category worth highlighting is live commerce, which blends entertainment with online shopping.
One of the most significant new trends is live commerce – essentially, online shopping via live stream. In a live commerce event, hosts (often influencers or brand reps) showcase products live, interact with viewers, and encourage them to purchase in real time through integrated links. This format has exploded in parts of the world, turning live streams into virtual storefronts.
China is leading the live commerce boom: the live-stream shopping market in China was reportedly worth an astonishing 4.9 trillion yuan (hundreds of billions USD) recently. During popular “shoppertainment” festivals, millions of Chinese consumers tune in to apps like Taobao Live, TikTok (Douyin) Live, and Kuaishou to snag deals being demonstrated live. This phenomenon is now spreading globally. In Southeast Asia, for instance, TikTok’s live shopping streams have been growing around 30% month-over-month in viewership and sales.
Other regions are catching on as well. In the United States, live online sales are forecast to exceed $50 billion within a few years as platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and even Amazon embrace live selling formats. Currently about 14% of U.S. online shoppers have participated in a live stream purchase (and rising), while interest is even higher in Asia-Pacific where roughly 17% of online shoppers engage in live commerce. Europe and Latin America lag slightly behind (5–8% of shoppers), but are growing their live shopping audiences.
Surveys show top reasons include hunting for deals, discovering new products in an entertaining way, and the excitement of real-time interaction (asking the host questions, seeing others’ comments). Essentially, it combines the ease of online shopping with the fun of an in-store demo or TV shopping channel, modernized for the social media era.
Retailers and brands are taking notice – from beauty companies hosting makeup tutorials with instant purchase options, to electronics launches where viewers can buy the gadget being reviewed live. It’s a trend expected to reshape e-commerce, and by extension, significantly contribute to live streaming growth in coming years.
Live commerce (shoppable live streams) has gained the most traction in Asia-Pacific, where 17% of online shoppers have bought items through live streams. The trend is also growing in the Middle East (e.g. UAE 16%) and the United States (14%), with lower but rising adoption in Latin America and Europe.
Beyond entertainment, live streaming has become a powerful tool for businesses and marketers. Companies now routinely use live video for product announcements, branding campaigns, and customer engagement. There are good reasons for this shift: consumers often prefer live, visual content over static text. In fact, surveys indicate 80% of people would rather watch a live video from a brand than read a blog post. Live streams allow brands to interact with viewers, answer questions in real time, and create a sense of community around a product or service.
Some telling stats for marketers: Roughly 35% of marketers worldwide use live video in their marketing mix, and this share is growing about 20% year-over-year as more advertisers see the ROI. Around 54% of consumers say they want to see more video content from their favorite brands, and many millennials even credit live streams with helping them make purchase decisions when shopping online. Live streaming is also now common for internal business use – over half of companies use live video for things like business presentations and corporate events, especially now that remote and hybrid work arrangements are widespread.
Looking ahead, the future of live streaming will likely involve further blending with emerging technologies. We’re already seeing experiments with VR and 360° live streams for immersive event experiences, and the use of AI (such as AI-driven closed captioning, translations, or even virtual influencers hosting streams).
As networks improve, ultra-high-definition and low-latency streams will become standard, making the experience even more seamless. Moreover, the live streaming arena could become more fragmented but innovative – for example, in response to regulatory issues or audience preferences, we might see more regional platforms spring up (as happened in South Korea) or specialized platforms for niches like education, enterprise, or specific genres.
One thing is certain: live streaming is not a fad – it’s a fundamental shift in how we consume media and connect online. By 2025, live content is entrenched in social media, entertainment, commerce, and communication. Viewers love the authenticity and real-time engagement; creators and businesses love the reach and interaction. With billions of hours watched and billions of dollars generated, live streaming has proven its staying power. The trend of “going live” – anytime, anywhere, on any device – will only grow as technology and creativity continue to push the boundaries of interactive, real-time content.
For a closer look at where the industry is headed, read our full guide to the latest live streaming trends.
Resources:
DemandSage: 42 Live Streaming Statistics 2025: Trends & Growth
Esports Insider: Stream Hatchet report: Live streaming viewership grows by 12% in 2024
Gyre: 2025 Live Streaming Statistics & Insights: From Platforms to Profit
Streams Charts: Q1 2025 Global Livestreaming Landscape
Influencer Marketing Hub: 100 Live Streaming Stats for Marketers
