Ultra.
2026 is moving faster than some of us are willing to admit and live streaming continues to show signs of resilience across major platforms.
This Streamlabs x Stream Hatchet Q1 2026 Live Streaming Report takes a closer look at Q1 2026 performance across major platforms, exploring how viewership, creator activity, and platform momentum shifted at the start of the year.
Key Takeaways
- Live streaming saw renewed momentum in Q1 2026, with total hours watched, hours streamed, and unique channels all increasing quarter-over-quarter across tracked platforms.
- Kick continued to stand out as one of the fastest-growing platforms year-over-year, while Twitch showed signs of short-term recovery despite continued year-over-year declines in viewership and creator activity.
- Conversational and personality-driven content remained a major force across live streaming, with Just Chatting leading hours watched across all platforms and continuing to dominate on both Twitch and Kick.
Total Hours Watched Across All Platforms
Total hours watched across all platforms increased quarter-over-quarter, rising from 20.90 billion in Q4 2025 to 21.49 billion in Q1 2026, representing a 2.83% increase.
Year-over-year, total hours watched increased by approximately 2.87%, up from 20.89 billion in Q1 2025.
Total Hours Streamed
Total hours streamed across all platforms also increased in Q1 2026, rising from 318.8 million in Q4 2025 to 330.3 million, reflecting a 3.63% quarter-over-quarter increase.
Compared to Q1 2025, total hours streamed increased by approximately 6.24%, suggesting creator activity remained strong heading into 2026.
Q1 2026 Unique Channels
The number of unique channels increased quarter-over-quarter, rising from 11.45 million in Q4 2025 to 11.75 million in Q1 2026, representing a 2.62% increase.
Year-over-year, unique channels declined by approximately 3.73%, down from 12.20 million in Q1 2025.
Kick
Key Takeaway
Kick continued to show strong year-over-year growth in Q1 2026, with viewership, creator hours, and unique channels all increasing significantly compared to the previous year.
Kick Total Hours Watched
In Q1 2026, total hours watched on Kick increased to 1.27 billion, up from 1.22 billion in Q4 2025, representing a 4.74% quarter-over-quarter increase.
Year-over-year, total hours watched increased by approximately 65.35%, rising from 770.4 million in Q1 2025 to 1.27 billion in Q1 2026—a gain of 503.4 million hours.
While Kick’s largest growth spike occurred earlier in 2025, Q1 2026 shows the platform maintaining momentum rather than returning to pre-growth levels.
Kick Total Hours Streamed
Kick’s total hours streamed increased by 6.64% quarter-over-quarter, rising from 14.64 million in Q4 2025 to 15.61 million in Q1 2026.
Compared to Q1 2025, hours streamed increased by approximately 69.71%, reflecting continued year-over-year growth in creator activity.
Kick Unique Channels
The number of unique Kick channels increased from 743,101 in Q4 2025 to 766,495 in Q1 2026, representing a 3.15% quarter-over-quarter increase.
Year-over-year, unique channels increased by approximately 54.49%, up from 496,161 in Q1 2025.
Twitch
Key Takeaway
Twitch saw a quarter-over-quarter rebound in Q1 2026 across viewership, hours streamed, and unique channels, though the platform remained down year-over-year.
Twitch Total Hours Watched
In Q1 2026, Twitch’s total hours watched increased by approximately 3.90% quarter-over-quarter, rising from 4.38 billion in Q4 2025 to 4.55 billion hours.
Year-over-year, viewership declined by approximately 13.68%, down from 5.27 billion hours in Q1 2025, representing a loss of 720.7 million hours.
Twitch Total Hours Streamed
Twitch’s total hours streamed increased quarter-over-quarter, rising from 207.4 million in Q4 2025 to 215.8 million in Q1 2026, representing a 4.02% increase.
Compared to Q1 2025, hours streamed decreased by approximately 2.45%, down from 221.2 million hours.
This suggests Twitch saw renewed creator activity at the start of 2026, even as year-over-year platform activity remains below the previous year.
Twitch Unique Channels
Twitch’s number of unique channels increased from 8.38 million in Q4 2025 to 8.74 million in Q1 2026, representing a 4.20% quarter-over-quarter increase.
Year-over-year, unique channels declined by approximately 5.50%, decreasing from 9.25 million in Q1 2025.
YouTube Gaming
Key Takeaway
YouTube Gaming maintained relative stability in Q1 2026, with viewership up both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year, while unique channels continued to soften.
YouTube Gaming Total Hours Watched
In Q1 2026, YouTube Gaming’s total hours watched increased by approximately 1.58% quarter-over-quarter, rising from 2.19 billion in Q4 2025 to 2.22 billion hours.
Year-over-year, viewership increased by approximately 14.63%, up from 1.94 billion hours in Q1 2025.
YouTube Gaming Total Hours Streamed
YouTube Gaming’s total hours streamed declined slightly quarter-over-quarter, decreasing from 29.4 million in Q4 2025 to 29.0 million in Q1 2026, representing a 1.37% decrease.
Compared to Q1 2025, hours streamed increased by approximately 13.03%, reflecting continued year-over-year growth in creator activity.
YouTube Gaming Unique Channels
The number of unique YouTube Gaming channels declined from 1.11 million in Q4 2025 to 1.07 million in Q1 2026, representing a 3.65% quarter-over-quarter decrease.
Year-over-year, unique channels declined by approximately 9.92%, down from 1.19 million in Q1 2025.
Q1 2026 Top Esports by Hours Watched
All Platforms
2026 BLAST Open Rotterdam — 27 Million
2026 VALORANT Masters 1 Santiago — 25 Million
2026 First Stand — 24 Million
Q1 2026 Top Games by Hours Streamed
All Platforms
Just Chatting — 13.3 Million
YouTube Gaming
Garena Free Fire — 417,527
PUBG Mobile — 62,376
Twitch
Fortnite — 10.6 Million
Steam
Counter-Strike — 1.1 Million
Kick
Just Chatting — 2.2 Million
Chzzk
Just Chatting — 691,917
Afreeca
Sudden Attack — 763,045
Q1 2026 Top Games by Hours Watched
All Platforms
Just Chatting — 1.07 Billion
League of Legends — 485.3 Million
Grand Theft Auto V — 456.1 Million
YouTube Gaming
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — 113.7 Million
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — 11.7 Million
Twitch
Just Chatting — 668.2 Million
Steam
Crimson Desert — 7.3 Million
Kick
Just Chatting — 303.8 Million
Chzzk
League of Legends — 35.9 Million
Afreeca
League of Legends — 72.5 Million
Q1 2026 Top Publishers by Hours Watched
All Platforms
Riot Games — 916.8 Million
Tencent Games — 720.8 Million
Valve Corporation — 594.5 Million
YouTube Gaming
Riot Games — 146.3 Million
Twitch
Riot Games — 434.7 Million
Steam
Ubisoft Entertainment — 7.4 Million
Kick
Rockstar Games — 193 Million
Chzzk
Riot Games — 40.7 Million
Afreeca
Riot Games — 77.7 Million
Q1 2026 shows that live streaming remains in motion, with platforms balancing short-term rebounds, year-over-year shifts, and continued demand for content.
As creators and viewers continue to spread across platforms, live streaming is becoming less defined by one dominant trend and more by how each platform carves out and sustains its own momentum.
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