The history of live streaming goes as back as the 1990s. Back then, the service was only available to selected individuals and businesses, but platforms like Facebook, Skype, Youtube, and others have made live streaming accessible to the public.
Now in 2023, Live streaming is enjoyed by millions daily through Youtube Live sessions, Twitch Streams, Instagram Lives, or Other means.
What does all this information point to? Well, If you are a marketer, live streams are a great way to get your product or service in front of millions of eyeballs. The best part is that all major social media platforms now allow some or the other kind of live streaming; there is no shortage of influencers as well.
To back up the above information, we have gathered and presented all the essential live-streaming statistics as of 2023. Check them below and use live streaming for your advantage!
Live Streaming Statistics 2023 (Top Picks)
- The global live-streaming market size is $1.49 billion as of 2023. It is predicted that this number will reach $184.3 billion by 2027.
- There are163.4 million consumers of live-streamed content in the United States alone in 2023.
- 80% of people prefer watching a live stream to reading a blog.
- 23.7% of social media users watch live content.
- The time spent on live videos is 8 times more than spent watching on-demand videos.
- 67% of the audience claim that video quality is the most important factor while watching a live stream.
- 38.2% of consumers in the US shop in live streams to discover new products.
- Youtube is the most popular platform to live stream e-commerce in the US.
- There are 532 million eSports audiences globally as of 2023.
- 35% of marketers globally include live stream videos in their marketing strategy.
Which is the Best live Streaming Platform?
A plethora of live streaming platforms are available in the market as of 2023; There is no best or worst platform to live stream, the audience differs on each one, and the preferences differ ultimately. So to give you a clear idea about which platform is suitable for which needs, we have compiled this set of statistics.
- Twitch is the best platform for live-streaming gaming-related content.
- Youtube is the best platform if you want to live stream eCommerce-related content.
- TikTok and Instagram Live are best for marketing lifestyle products. Both these platforms are also best for influencers globally.
- LinkedIn live is best suited for business professionals. It is also the best platform to promote b2b products and services.
- Snapchat life is yet another good option for influencers.
User’s Age Group and Gender Split of Various Live Streaming Platforms Globally (2023)
Demographics of every platform differ; You need to have a clear idea about which age group is dominant on which platform and what are it’s the gender ratio.
Let me take you through the same:
Twitch Demographics
- The majority of Twitch users are between the age group of 25 to 34.
Here is a table showing Age Distribution of Twitch users:
| Age Group | Share of Users |
| 16-24 | 22.3% |
| 25-34 | 49.7% |
| 35-44 | 17.5% |
| 45-54 | 7.4% |
| 55-64 | 1.9% |
| Above 65 | 1.3% |
- 79.79% of Twitch users are males while 20.21% are females.
Here is a table showing the gender split of Twitch users:
| Gender | Share of Users |
| Males | 79.79% |
| Females | 20.21% |
Youtube Demographics
- Males aged between 25 to 34 make up 11.6% of Youtube’s audience.
- Females aged between 25 to 34 make up 8.6% of youtube’s audience.
Here is a complete breakdown of Youtube’s audience based on their age and gender:
| Age Group | Males | Females |
| 18-24 | 8.5% | 6% |
| 25-34 | 11.6% | 8.6% |
| 35-44 | 9% | 7.5% |
| 45-54 | 6.2% | 5.2% |
| 55-64 | 4.4% | 4.5% |
| Over 65 | 4.3% | 5.4% |
Instagram Demographics
- Majority of Instagram’s audience is between the 25 to 34 age group.
Here is a complete breakdown of Instagram’s audience based on their age and gender:
| Age Group | Males | Females |
| 13-17 | 4.9% | 4% |
| 18-24 | 16.8% | 13.4% |
| 25-34 | 17.1% | 14.6% |
| 35-44 | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 45-54 | 3.5% | 4.3% |
| 55-64 | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Over 65 | 0.9% | 1.2% |
Tik Tok Demographics
- The majority of TikTok’s audience belongs to the 18 to 24 age group.
Here is a complete breakdown of TikTok’s audience based on their age and gender:
| Age Group | Males | Females |
| 18-24 | 17.9% | 23.8% |
| 25-34 | 13.9% | 17.1% |
| 35-44 | 6.1% | 7.2% |
| 45-54 | 3% | 3.7% |
| Over 55 | 1.7% | 2.4% |
Facebook Demographics
- The majority of Facebook users are between the age of 25 to 34.
Here is a complete breakdown of Facebook’s audience based on their age and gender:
| Age Group | Males | Females |
| 13-17 | 3.2% | 2.4% |
| 18-24 | 13.3% | 9.3% |
| 25-34 | 18.4% | 12.6% |
| 35-44 | 10% | 7.9% |
| 45-54 | 5.8% | 5.2% |
| 55-64 | 3.3% | 3.5% |
| Over 65 | 2.5% | 2.8% |
Snapchat Demographics
- Majority of Snapchat’s audience belongs to the 18 to 24 age group.
Here is a complete breakdown of Snapchat’s audience based on their age and gender:
| Age Group | Males | Females |
| 13-17 | 9.3% | 11.8% |
| 18-24 | 19.5% | 19.5% |
| 25-34 | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 35-49 | 4.9% | 8.5% |
| Over 50 | 1.2% | 2.5% |
LinkedIn Demographics
- 59.1% of LinkedIn’s users belong to the 25 to 34 age group.
Here is a table showing the Age Distribution of LinkedIn users:
| Age Group | Share of Users |
| 18-24 | 20.4% |
| 25-34 | 59.1% |
| 35-54 | 17.7% |
| Over 55 | 2.9% |
Sources: Statista.
Consumers of Live Streaming Statistics
- 63% of Millennials consume live streaming regularly.
- 40% of live stream viewers do so on their mobiles and computers.
- 60% of younger adults in the United States watch live streams on their television sets.
- 32% of youtube users watched the live stream on the platform in Q4 2021.
- 47% of live stream viewers are consuming the format more than ever.
- 67% of viewers who watched a live stream of an event purchased a ticket to that event the next time it took place.
- What drives a person to comment on a live stream? Here are some important factors.
- The number of viewers on a live stream.
- The gender of the streamer.
- The number of likes on stream.
- The number of Gifting options.
- The duration of the live stream.
- 39% of users on social media watch live sports on various platforms.
- 23.8% of respondents in Datareportal’s survey said the main reason for using social media is to watch live streams.
- 30.4% of users aged between 16 and 64 watch at least one live stream every week.
- 56% of people claim that “breaking news” is the most frequent form of a live stream they watch.
- 45% of users are willing to pay to watch live streams from their favorite speakers and teams.
Sources: Statista, Influencer Marketing Hub, Startup Bonsai, Tech Jury, Data Reportal, Vimeo.
What are Viewers Expecting in a Live Stream?
- 67% of the audience claim that video quality is the most important factor while watching a live stream.
- 50% of users leave a live stream in 90 seconds or less if it has low-quality output.
- People leave when the live stream is taking time to start. Statistics say that every 6-second delay in the start results in a 6% viewer bounce.
- 85% of users want to see more videos from their favourite brands and businesses.
- Here are some of the most important factors that the audience seeks during a live stream:
- Video Quality.
- Audio Quality.
- Lighting Conditions.
- Engagement skills of the streamer.
- Quality of the content.
Sources: Uscreen, Vimeo, Neil Patel, Influencer Marketing Hub.
How to Make a Live Stream Better?
Consumer satisfaction is the ultimate reward for any streamer. Monetizing your live stream is not a distant dream If you are able to satisfy your viewers. So, how can you do that? We have made a brief list of things you should consider to get the most out of your next live stream!
- Keep your streaming setup clutter-free and with a backup!
- Make sure your internet connection is good. This will make sure your streams aren’t delayed and eventually avoid bounce rates.
- Use a good quality recording device for both video and audio.
- Be mindful of what you speak.
- Make sure your lighting setup is not too bright or too dark.
- Be a proactive host! Nobody likes to watch a dull host.
- Engage your audience in real time.
- Do test runs before you go live.
- Be consistent.
- Don’t forget to promote your live stream. (p.s.- beforehand)
Live Commerce Statistics
Live commerce is the process of selling products through live streams. The appetite for live commerce is increasing every day, with 11% of the global population showing interest in it.
We have gathered statistics and presented them below to help all the businesses and brands looking to leverage the power of live commerce.
- Consumers in the Asia-pacific region have the highest interest in live commerce.
Here is a table showing the interest in live stream commerce from online shoppers globally:
| World Region | Sare of respondents |
| Asia-pacific | 17% |
| United Arab Emirates | 16% |
| United States | 14% |
| Latin America | 8% |
| Europe | 5% |
- The live commerce market in china is expected to reach 4.9 trillion yuan by 2023.
- Consumers in the United States have spent $17 billion on live-stream shopping in 2022.
- 39.7% of US shoppers say that the main reason they shop online is because of the great deals.
Here is a table showing the leading reasons for US citizens to shop on live streams:
| Reasons to shop on live streams. | Share of respondents |
| For great deals | 39.7% |
| To discover new products | 38.2% |
| To learn more about new products | 36.6% |
| Because of the exciting buying experience | 30.7% |
Sources: Statista.
United States-Specific Live Streaming Statistics
Knowing the state of live streaming in the United States will help marketers design a well-thought marketing policy. Dig in if you want to target the audience in the United States:
- As per Statista, there are 158.2 million live stream viewers in the United States as of 2023. This number is set to reach 164.6 million by 2026.
- According to gamers, Twitch is the most popular live-streaming platform in the United States.
Here is a table showing the most popular live-streaming platforms in the United States for gamers:
| Platform | Share of respondents |
| Twitch | 47% |
| Youtube Gaming | 40% |
| Facebook Gaming | 16% |
| Discord | 14% |
| Bigo Live | 7% |
| Others | 7% |
| Disco Melee | 5% |
| DLive | 4% |
| HitBox | 4% |
| InstaGib TV | 3% |
| Beam | 3% |
- Facebook Live is preferred by 45% of US citizens aged between 35 to 54 while Youtube Live is the favorite of people aged between 18 to 34.
Here is the complete breakdown of the United States’ most popular live streaming platforms by age group of users:
| Platforms | 18-34 | 35-54 | Over 55 |
| Facebook Live | 35% | 45% | 21% |
| Youtube Live | 42% | 38% | 20% |
| 39% | 29% | 8% | |
| TikTok | 23% | 18% | 7% |
| Twitch | 31% | 14% | 2% |
| Snapchat | 23% | 14% | 2% |
| 17% | 16% | 5% | |
| Livestream (Vimeo) | 9% | 10% | 2% |
| 6% | 6% | 2% | |
| Ustream | 4% | 4% | 1% |
- Breaking News is the most popular category for live streams in the United States. Comedy makes it to second place.
Here is a table showing the most popular live streaming categories in the United States:
| Category | Share of Respondents |
| Breaking News | 37% |
| Comedy | 31% |
| Videos by Friends and Family | 30% |
| Sports Games | 29% |
| Local Newscasts | 25% |
| How-to Videos | 24% |
| National Newscasts | 23% |
| Influencer Live Streams | 22% |
| Celebrity Live Streams | 21% |
| Video Game Competitions | 19% |
| Music Concerts and Festivals | 16% |
| Religious Events | 14% |
| Conferences | 14% |
Sources: Statista.
Trends For Live Streaming in 2023
So, how do things look for live streaming in 2023? Let us take a look at it through facts and figures.
- Live Streaming is expected to grow 15 times in 2023.
- The live-streaming industry is estimated to reach $184.3 billion by 2027 growing at a CAGR of 19.9%.
- Live Streams will have a 17% share of overall internet traffic in 2023.
- 63% of marketers plan to increase their investments in live videos in the future.
- Live streaming in the gaming field is expected to reach over 900 million viewers by 2024.
- Brands are projected to spend over $100 billion on video content by 2023.
- The E-learning video industry will be worth $325 billion by 2025.
Sources: Data Reportal, TechJury, Statista, Forbes, Content Marketing Institute.
Fun Statistics About Live Streaming.
- The 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony had around 2 billion viewers worldwide, making it the most-viewed live stream event of all time.
- Video quality is a crucial consideration for 67% of consumers who utilize live streaming services for companies when deciding whether or not to view live videos.
- CazéTV: 6.1 million (World Cup 2022 QF live stream) is the most watched live stream in youtube’s history.
- Netflix continues experimenting with its service; now, in 2023, it is experimenting with live streaming. They will be live streaming the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on its YouTube Channel and starting from 2024, on their official platform.
- League Of Legends is the most watched game on Twitch of all time.
Related Read:
Conclusion: Live Streaming Statistics (2023)
This was my take on the live-streaming statistics as of 2023. If you are still on the fence about live streaming on a particular platform, you can check a more detailed version of our statistics about major platforms.
