Thread by @Tocelot

👇Thread: New blog on @Twitch @Youtube @caffeine!
Myth: Livestreaming is about games
Truth: Livestreaming is about personality & community
We're seeing the rise of a new class of ‘lifestyle streamers’ for which games are only 1 way to engage fans
bit.ly/2xYcsej

1/ This trend of non-gaming focused 'lifestyle' streams is playing out across the industry, with @Drake doing battle rap shows on @caffeine and @FlavCity hosting live cooking shows on @Youtube

2/ On Twitch, non-gaming content has actually been the fastest growing category over the last two years. Since 2018, the non-gaming channel Just Chatting has grown ~4x as fast as Twitch overall. See chart:

3/ In Just Chatting, the focus is on conversation between streamers & viewers. It's a broad category spanning falconry with @mayahiga6 to traveling in Japan with @Byron - the common thread is that it's really about the streamer's personality

4/ What accounts for this growth? As we spent time exploring the category, we found lifestyle streams to be different from pure game streams in a few interesting ways:
1) Higher engagement
2) More intimate community
3) Greater monetization potential

5/ Lifestyle streamers drive some of the highest audience engagement – greeting fans by name, taking agenda suggestions, making fans feel like active participants rather than passive viewers. One of my favorite eating videos by @Byron:
bit.ly/2UxAwxw

6/ Lifestyle streamers also provide a sense of community that’s hard to find these days. With traditional sources of community disrupted by COVID-19, millions are turning to livestreams. Linear video like Netflix can't serve this need

7/ Lifestyle streams also have high monetization potential. They earn traditional revenue like subs/ads, but can also tap into new channels to grow the pie. Illustrative revenue breakdown from streamer Disguised Toast 👇

8/ New revenue pools are nascent but growing quickly: @xQc selling social validation, private membership groups on @Patreon, consulting on @fiverr, ecommerce stores with @chronodeals below. Exciting stuff!
bit.ly/3aCmTmi

Wrap/ the 1st generation of livestreaming influencers were professional gamers. Today we are seeing the rise of the next generation of lifestyle / variety streamers, for whom personality is king and gaming is just one of many ways to engage fans. More detail in blog!