Facebook Gaming had a dominant Q3 in 2021 which saw it accomplish several milestones. According to Safe Betting Sites, Facebook Gaming overtook YouTube Gaming in hours watched for the first time after recording an estimated 1.3B hours watched in Q3 2021.
Facebook Gaming was only launched in 2018 but has since grown to become a formidable competitor to established video-game streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming. Facebook Gaming recorded an estimated 1.3B hours watched in Q3 2021 compared to YouTube Gaming’s 1.13B hours watched in the same quarter. The long-running frontrunner of the video-game streaming industry, Twitch remained far ahead, logging 5.8B hours watched in the same quarter. Facebook Gaming, however, was the only platform to experience growth in the number of hours watched for the quarter. Q3 2021’s figure is also a remarkable 59% YoY increase from 2020 further highlighting Facebook Gaming’s rapid growth.
In the first half of 2021, Twitch seemed to carry much of the momentum built from 2020 but Q3’s figures show that growth on the platform is starting to decline. The estimated 5.8B hours watched on Twitch in Q3 is an 11% QoQ decrease from Q2. The number of total hours streamed on the platform, number of unique channels and the average number of concurrent viewership experienced QoQ declines of 8.3%, 9.6% and 13% respectively.
YouTube Gaming saw a similar trend as it saw its viewership numbers decline in Q3 2021 compared to Q2. The number of hours watched on the platform decreased by 12.6% from the previous quarter and is notably a 32.5% YoY decrease from Q3 2020. YouTube Gaming’s other viewership metrics are also down for Q3 2021. The number of hours streamed and the number of unique channels on the platform also experienced QoQ declines of 5.6% and 8.4% respectively.
Robert Pascal, eSports editor at Safe Betting Sites, said: “Facebook Gaming has grown to become a legitimate threat to the throne that Twitch has held for some time as the premier video-game streaming platform. Passing YouTube Gaming for the first time ever in hours watched in a quarter signals a passing of the torch for second place and is clear evidence of Facebook Gaming’s impressive growth. While the social media giants have plenty of catching up to do with Twitch, it seems to be well on the way to become a more competitive rival.”
