Twitch Surpassed CNN in Viewership in January

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
Staff member
Joined
May 18, 1997
Messages
54,866
While this might be setting the bar sort of low, it is an interesting data point for sure. Much of the increase in viewership is laid at the feet of Battle Royale titles PUBG and Fortnite. Thanks cagey.


Perhaps the biggest revelation is that Twitch attracted more viewers than CNN. January average concurrent viewers on Twitch showed a record 962k, up 22% from January 2017, and up 26% from December. For comparison, 2017 total day viewership for Fox News Channel and ESPN was ~1.5mm, MSNBC was 885K, and CNN was 783K, putting Twitch squarely among the most-watched U.S. cable channels.
 
I think when parents realize the allowance their kids get are being strait donated to random people on twitch for playing video games... the reckoning will be coming.


I think they are oblivious to how the payment system is working, and where their money is going.
 
Online thing is a real thing, it looks like this internet fad isn't going away.

Kids have a hard time with the idea that somebody else is going to tell them when to watch something. Hell, I have a problem with it myself.
 
Twitch is not just for kids, either. I'm in my 40's. I became a cord cutter very early in the trend, I haven't had cable or satellite TV service in more than 15 years. Needless to say it has been forever since I last watched CNN, or any cable channel. I did not even watch the Super Bowl this year.

What I do watch is a lot of Twitch. I watch more content overall on YouTube, but for me Twitch comes in at #2 ahead of Netflix and Amazon Prime. I love watching professional CS:GO so that's mostly what I watch, whether it is a tournament or pros streaming on their personal time.

Anyway, I love the donation and inexpensive subscription model that Twitch uses. I have absolutely no problem if my kids want to watch Twitch or donate to streamers there.

My final thought is that while the battle royale genre gets more round the clock views than pro esports games like CS:GO and LOL, you only see the giant viewership numbers for individual streams during esports matches. I recall seeing 1.4M simultaneous viewers during the grand final of the CS:GO Boston Major last month. In contrast, PUBG may have 200k viewers at times, but it is splintered across a bunch of different streams and I would not call it an esport. That genre doesn't have a format that lends itself to broadcasting.
 
Last edited:
pcgeekesq said:
Seriously, who cares how kids spend their allowance as long as it doesn't harm them? It's fun money.
Click to expand...

eerrrr

If i gave my kids money for video games, and found out they were donating to people on twitch just to say their name, or do squats in front of the camera... i would definitely readjust their perspective. I think lots of parents would. Unfortunately you can't explain twitch to a 40 year old who's working 70 hours a week and doesn't have time to monitor what their kids do.(which i understand, i probably wouldn't either)

Just have to wait till fox news or whatever media outlet they watch explains how this thing works lol.
 
Verge said:
eerrrr

If i gave my kids money for video games, and found out they were donating to people on twitch just to say their name, or do squats in front of the camera... i would definitely readjust their perspective.
Click to expand...
I don't see the problem. They're paying a few bucks for live entertainment. Don't see how it's different or less deserving than any other form of it.

Times have simply changed, and some people get so completely agitated - the "I don't get it" crowd - by what just amounts to a generational shift.
 
rigurat said:
CNN isn't what it used to be a decade ago.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is. There are supreme court nominations to be had in the near future that will be critical for decades to come, so they are on a suicide mission.
 
doublejack said:
Twitch is not just for kids, either. I'm in my 40's. I became a cord cutter very early in the trend, I haven't had cable or satellite TV service in more than 15 years. Needless to say it has been forever since I last watched CNN, or any cable channel. I did not even watch the Super Bowl this year.

What I do watch is a lot of Twitch. I watch more content overall on YouTube, but for me Twitch comes in at #2 ahead of Netflix and Amazon Prime. I love watching professional CS:GO so that's mostly what I watch, whether it is a tournament or pros streaming on their personal time.

Anyway, I love the donation and inexpensive subscription model that Twitch uses. I have absolutely no problem if my kids want to watch Twitch or donate to streamers there.

My final thought is that while the battle royale genre gets more round the clock views than pro esports games like CS:GO and LOL, you only see the giant viewership numbers for individual streams during esports matches. I recall seeing 1.4M simultaneous viewers during the grand final of the CS:GO Boston Major last month. In contrast, PUBG may have 200k viewers at times, but it is splintered across a bunch of different streams and I would not call it an esport. That genre doesn't have a format that lends itself to broadcasting.
Click to expand...

same for me, when i'm not playing MWO or something with friends i usually have a twitch stream open on one of my monitors or tv.. i prefer to watch league of legends streams even though i'm complete trash at the game since i'm old and have the reaction time of a blind elephant it's still fun to watch high elo game play and LCK/NALCS. if for some odd reason i can't find a stream worth watching then i'm usually watching something on netflix, can't be bothered with cable tv and commercials every 5 minutes.

as far as kids spending their parents money on streamers, i agree with pcgeekesq, there's a crap load of worse things they could be spending that money on.. hell if streaming was a thing when i was a kid/teenager i probably would of saved a few thousand dollars on weed and instead given it to streamers then i might of actually graduated high school or even could of gone to college on a sports scholarship.. but instead i used my free time to spend my money on weed and alcohol only to ruin any chance of having a football or baseball career.
 
Last edited:
odditory said:
I don't see the problem. They're paying a few bucks for live entertainment. Don't see how it's different or less deserving than any other form of it.

Times have simply changed, and some people get so completely agitated - the "I don't get it" crowd - by what just amounts to a generational shift.
Click to expand...

Well maybe. I watch a bit of twitch, I think some people go way overboard. It’s not about “getting” I’m already there.
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
same for me, when i'm not playing MWO or something with friends i usually have a twitch stream open on one of my monitors or tv.. i prefer to watch league of legends streams even though i'm complete trash at the game since i'm old and have the reaction time of a blind elephant it's still fun to watch high elo game play and LCK/NALCS. if for some odd reason i can't find a stream worth watching then i'm usually watching something on netflix, can't be bothered with cable tv and commercials every 5 minutes.

as far as kids spending their parents money on streamers, i agree with pcgeekesq, there's a crap load of worse things they could be spending that money on.. hell if streaming was a thing when i was a kid/teenager i probably would of saved a few thousand dollars on weed and instead given it to streamers then i might of actually graduated high school or even could of gone to college on a sports scholarship.. but instead i used my free time to spend my money on weed and alcohol only to ruin any chance of having a football or baseball career.
Click to expand...

Your parents let you smoke weed, blame them. In the post he’s replying to, I’m referring to 10-15 year olds.
 
Verge said:
Your parents let you smoke weed, blame them. In the post he’s replying to, I’m referring to 10-15 year olds.
Click to expand...


lol no they didn't.. the fact that they spent years drilling it into my brain that drugs were bad is what ended up causing me to experiment with drugs because who gives a crap what parents say when you're 12-13 years old.. i love the "it was your parents fault" excuse because some one lived a shitty boring childhood and didn't have the balls to question anything they were told. the only person to blame is myself for thinking i knew better than they did.. shit happens and i learned from it.

but back to the discussion, there's a minimum age limit of 13 years old on twitch so if a parent is allowing a 10 year old to use it which breaks the EULA and have access to a credit card that parent is dumb..but besides that what exactly is your point.. it's their allowance, they worked for it(unless you're one of those parents that just hands out free money to your kids) so they should be allowed to spend it how ever they want, that's how you teach your kids responsibility.. if they waste it all donating to a streamer and all of a sudden realize they needed it for something else then tough luck they're screwed until the next time they get paid for doing chores.
 
Verge said:
Your parents let you smoke weed, blame them. In the post he’s replying to, I’m referring to 10-15 year olds.
Click to expand...

My wife and I busted our at the time 14 year old smoking last school year. She had a stash of flavored cigarillos and was texting a friend about meeting up in the park to smoke. She didn't know we can read every text she sends and receives through the Mobile Fence app we put on her phone. The kids these days are more likely to be into vaping than weed or alcohol, though. They start in junior high, so 13-14 years old. Sadly, many of the parents in the area I live are not aware of the problem, are ineffective at controlling their kids, or just don't care. Once in a while I will find evidence of beer or cigarettes kids have likely nicked from their parents, but mostly they vape.

I've watched the 15 going on 16 year old across the street make purchases right in his driveway. The garage door opens up a couple of feet and he stays in there, waiting. His parents must be asleep but it is not super late - midnight or so (I'm up until 1 regularly). SUV pulls into the drive, he comes out of the garage and goes to the SUV window, brief exchange, SUV drives away. He goes back in the garage and closes the door. His parents seem to be oblivious. Several nights a week this kid "goes for a walk" after dark, regardless of the weather. That's not suspicious, right? He'd be much better off spending his money on Twitch. My oldest rides the bus with this kid, and she swears he is far from the worst offender.

I won't even get into the sexting these kids partake in. They're literally all felons.
 
Verge said:
I think when parents realize the allowance their kids get are being strait donated to random people on twitch for playing video games... the reckoning will be coming.


I think they are oblivious to how the payment system is working, and where their money is going.
Click to expand...

*bangs cane* get off my lawn, I don't like things other people like because in my day we played football like a real man and broken bones were a badge of honor unless you were a Sissy and cried.

/s
 
Dekoth-E- said:
*bangs cane* get off my lawn, I don't like things other people like because in my day we played football like a real man and broken bones were a badge of honor unless you were a Sissy and cried.

/s
Click to expand...


Well maybe. I watch a bit of twitch, I think some people go way overboard. It’s not about “getting” I’m already there.
Click to expand...

Why read a whole thread when it’s easier to use a tired old lame insult first.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top