Facebook Gaming sees 238% growth during Covid-19 pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Gaming saw a massive 238 per cent growth in hours watched in the month of April (year-over-year) when people stayed home owing to Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the live game streaming platform Twitch that saw 101 per cent growth in hours watched while YouTube gaming logged 65 per cent rise in viewership globally.

At the top when it comes to hours watched, Twitch saw a record 1.65 billion watch hours of gaming while YouTube saw 461 million hours watched and Facebook Gaming saw 291 hours watched (from just 86 million in April 2019), according to the data provided by live streaming data analytics platforms StreamElements and Arsenal.gg.

While Microsoft Mixer had the least amount of growth (just 0.2 per cent in gaming hours watched), it still has a potential ace in its pocket depending on "how they marry Ninja with Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite".

Facebook saw the most significant leap in terms of personal growth, benefiting greatly from the release of their standalone gaming app and hosting several successful celebrity tournaments.

In the first quarter (January-March period) this year, Facebook's game streaming platform received almost 554 million hours of viewing time, compared to 1.1 billion for YouTube and 3.1 billion for Twitch, according to the latest data from live-streaming software service Streamlabs.

Facebook last month launched its own gaming app on Google Play Store for Android. Faceboom Gaming app is free and will allow millions of users watch and stream live games from their smartphones.

"There is no question that livestreaming has been on the rise for a while, but the pandemic-driven shelter-in-place mandates have supersized the industry. In addition to more people watching and playing games, there's been a huge influx of non-gaming context," the companies in a statement.

This has ranged from big music events to dance classes and fitness streams as individuals and organizations look for new means to generate revenue for themselves or others.

From March to April, every major livestreaming platform experienced growth with 45 per cent more hours being collectively watched. (IANS)