GameSquare's Stream Hatchet Publishes Annual 2025 Live Streaming Trends Report

Core Insights - Global live streaming viewership grew by 6% year-over-year, reaching 36.4 billion hours watched in 2025, nearly matching the pandemic-era peak of 37.1 billion hours in 2021 [1][7] - The growth in live streaming is driven by increased competition, broader platform utilization, and more sophisticated creator-led strategies [2] - Non-gaming content is expanding, with Just Chatting and IRL streams growing by 25% and 19% respectively, leading to non-gaming viewership accounting for 22% on Twitch [7] Market Dynamics - Twitch's market share decreased by 8.3% due to a crackdown on viewbotting and competition from other top platforms [7] - First-Person Shooters emerged as the most popular gaming genre, accumulating 4.6 billion hours watched, bolstered by esports success from titles like Counter Strike and VALORANT [7] Company Overview - GameSquare Holdings, Inc. operates as a media, entertainment, and technology company, focusing on connecting brands with younger audiences through innovative strategies [4] - Stream Hatchet, a subsidiary of GameSquare, provides data analytics for the live streaming and gaming ecosystem, offering insights into performance and campaign effectiveness [6]