By: Taylor Golemme
The vast majority of gamers and PC users know a thing or two about the interactive livestreaming service known as Twitch. Since the launch of Twitch over a decade ago, their user base has surpassed over 41.5 million in the United States, but recently they have seen a drop in numbers. According to StreamLabs data, Twitch has seen a decrease in major areas such as total hours streamed, viewership and unique channels in the last quarter of 2021. However, Facebook Gaming is not seeing those same trends. In fact, Facebook Gaming recently passed YouTube Gaming, another live streaming service competitor, in hours watched for the first time ever. This exciting feat could give a big insight into how Facebook Gaming may become a bigger threat than expected.
This is where Facebook Gaming really has the chance to really make a name for itself. Even though Twitch holds the highest market share out of all its competitors, Facebook Gaming has the competitive advantage of being a subsidiary of one of the largest social media platforms internationally, Facebook/Meta. The international reach from being associated with Facebook and the newly developed Metaverse is a key piece to connecting streamers to a larger audience in untapped target markets.
Another area for potential is the newest ‘co-streaming’ feature has been developed, which allows all creators on the site the opportunity to connect with their viewers and team up as they stream with one another. This feature addition could potentially lead to more micro and macro-influencers in the gaming industry getting discovered with increased collaboration between streamers and viewers. With Facebook Gaming already taking major initiatives in their previous launches, such as the Black Creator Program and Streamer Fan Groups, it seems that these new additions will only aid them in continuing to grow throughout all major areas.
While this platform has a relatively smaller audience in comparison to Twitch, Facebook Gaming’s competitive advantages of higher compensation rates, diversity and inclusion focus, better usability, and a larger international presence could be crucial in their future rankings. If these trends continue, Facebook Gaming may not be the underdog in the livestreaming industry for long.