Forecast: Game streamers to earn $106m in 2023
January 4, 2023
According to data from SportsLens, professional game streamers are expected to make more than $106 million (€99.9m) in 2023 – up 22 per cent on last year.
The industry of watching other people play video games continues to surge in popularity. In 2020, when lockdown rules and Covid-19 restrictions made live broadcasts even more attractive, Twitch, YouTube Gaming Live and Facebook Gaming hit 28.7 billion hours watched – 81 per cent more than before the pandemic. 2021 saw a 21 per cent growth, with 34.6 billion hours watched on the three aforementioned streaming platforms.
The surging demand for video game streaming content, as a core part of the gaming experience for many, led to the impressive growth of game streaming revenues. According to a Statista survey, professional eSports gamers and signed streamers made around $51 million in 2019. This figure jumped by more than 50 per cent in the next two years, rising to $78.4 million in 2021. Last year saw $87.3 million in professional game streaming revenues, 11 per cent more than a year before.
However, 2023 is set to witness the highest annual revenue growth, with streaming revenues expected to jump by 22.3 per cent to $106.9 million.
The following years are set to witness just as impressive growth. Statista expects streaming revenues to grow by another 18 per cent to $126 million in 2024. By 2025, the entire industry is set to reach a market volume of almost $145 million.
More than 580 million to watch game streaming content in 2023
Statista data show that more than 30 per cent of the global professional game streaming revenues come from China. The world`s largest streaming market is expected to hit a market volume of $32.1 million this year, up from $25 million a year ago.
The US ranked second with $14.8 million in revenue and a 13 per cent market share. Mexico, Canada and India follow, with $9.5 million, $4.5 million, and $4.3 million in game streaming revenues, respectively.
Besides impressive revenue growth, the game streaming market will also witness a substantial user increase. Last year, around 526 million worldwide watched game streaming content. This figure is projected to grow by 10 per cent year-over-year to 580 million in 2023. By 2025, the entire market is expected to reach nearly 665 million people globally.