Streaming on different platforms is a well-known form of entertainment in this modern world.

One of the most popular live-streaming platforms is Twitch.

It started from small beginnings and it eventually became a giant platform in the gaming industry. It is an example of a tiny startup that reached recognition in different parts of the world.

Curious about how long has Twitch been around? Find out the answer in this article.

How Long Has Twitch Been Around

Twitch was officially launched in 2011. Its four founders launched a live-streaming platform named Justin.tv in 2007, which is considered to be Twitch’s predecessor.

Its services before were more focused on “in real life” content and not on gaming.

In 2011, they designed a platform focusing on gaming and e-sports. They launched TwitchTV, named after the term “twitch gameplay”.

It started capturing more audience since it became a live-streaming platform open for all instead of a single channel focusing on Justin alone.

This platform grew more in its first year and gained more than 3 million visitors per month. After a year, it recorded more than 20 million visitors per month.

In 2014, it had around 55 million viewers watching the streams of their favorite gamers.

Due to its promising number of users, Amazon became interested in acquiring the platform. In August 2014, Amazon successfully acquired Twitch.

After two years, this platform became a significant player in e-sports and live-streaming platforms. It was continuously looking for ways in getting more viewers.

It introduced Twitch Prime as a subscription service.

Twitch allows supporters to interact with their favorite gamers while they are streaming. Others had the opportunity to play with their idols.

For these reasons, Twitch continuously grew its share in the gaming industry.

In 2021, Twitch had approximately 9 million active streamers every month, and around 2.78 million concurrent viewers.

Who is the Owner of Twitch?

Twitch was founded by Justin Kan, Kyle Vogt, Michael Seibel, and Emmett Shear. After a few years of getting more popular in the market, the platform got the attention of Google and Amazon.

Google offered approximately $1 billion to acquire the platform in May 2014, however, Google backed out due to the antitrust issues that possibly arise from having both YouTube and Twitch.

After a few months, Amazon acquired Twitch for $970 million and is now the owner of the platform.

Growth of Twitch Viewers

During the year when Amazon acquired Twitch, it had approximately 55 million viewers per month. It made up 1.8% of internet traffic, surpassing Hulu with internet traffic of 1.7%.

It also surpassed Facebook and Valve.

Twitch recorded average concurrent viewers of nearly 2.8 million in 2021, up by 31% from the prior year. At the start of 2023, the average number of Twitch viewers is around 2.16 million.

Let’s take a look at the growth of Twitch viewers from 2015 to 2023:

• Twitch recorded an average of around 530 thousand concurrent viewers in 2015
• Twitch recorded an average of around 610 thousand concurrent viewers in 2016
• Twitch recorded an average of around 747 thousand concurrent viewers in 2017
• Twitch recorded an average of around 1.07 million concurrent viewers in 2018
• Twitch recorded an average of around 1.26 million concurrent viewers in 2019
• Twitch recorded an average of around 2.12 million concurrent viewers in 2020
• Twitch recorded an average of around 2.80 million concurrent viewers in 2021
• Twitch recorded an average of around 2.58 million concurrent viewers in 2022
• Twitch recorded an average of around 2.16 million concurrent viewers in January 2023

First Streamer to Acquire a Subscriber Button on Twitch

Sean Plott, known as Day9tv was the first-ever streamer on Twitch to acquire a subscriber button, also called a “sub button”. He gained his sub button in April 2011.

After three months, Towelliee also acquired his sub button, and in September 2011, DansGaming gained its sub button.

Most Viewed Games on Twitch

To date, the most viewed video game on Twitch is the League of Legends with over 51 billion views, followed by Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto V.

Here are the most popular and most viewed video games on Twitch in 2022:

• League of Legends – had total views of 51.3 billion
• Fortnite – had total views of 29.1 billion
• Grand Theft Auto V – had total views of 25.7 billion
• Counter Strike: Global Offensive – had total views of 23 billion
• DoTA 2 – had total views of 20 billion

Conclusion

The Twitch that they launched years ago is not exactly the same as what people use today.

Its founder Justin Kan mentioned that Twitch started as Justin.tv and they eventually designed a new live-streaming platform focused on online video games – from IRL content to gaming.

This platform is now a giant in the world of video gaming and content creation.

Sources