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Esports streaming has received 746 million more viewing hours than it did the previous year, reports Stream Hatchet, a division of Millennial Esports.
Millennial Esports (TSXV:GAME) announced that its data streaming segment, Stream Hatchet, reported a 41 percent increase in esports streaming across a range of platforms compared to 2018 on Monday (September 9).
Noting the prevalence of streaming on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms, Stream Hatchet reported that esports streaming has received 746 million more viewing hours than it did the previous year.
The highest viewed games on Twitch between January and June 2019 were Fortnite, League of Legends, Grand Theft Auto 5, Dota 2 and Apex Legends.
This year the esports industry has seen multiple prize pools of US$30 million or more, and viewership numbers, franchise fees and esports team valuations also continue on an upward incline. In August alone, Newzoo reported that Dota 2 was viewed for 46 million hours on Twitch.
Similarly, advertising revenues are slated for upward momentum. According to a report from eMarketer, esports advertising revenue is projected to reach US$200 million by 2020.
“Live streaming platforms are still relatively new mediums for advertisers,” said Edward Montserrat, CEO of Stream Hatchet, in a press release. “They typically do not provide measurements that brands are used to and Stream Hatchet is here to decode those metrics for our clients, helping quantify the success of their activations.”
Between 2017 and 2018 alone, esports digital advertising increased 39 percent, from US$102.5 million to US$142.5 million, according to eMarketer. For esports, advertising is a core revenue stream alongside sponsorships, ticket sales, media rights and merchandise.
Based in Barcelona, Spain, Stream Hatchett is an esports data and analytics company that originated in 2016. It was acquired in May 2017 by Millennial Esports to leverage its industry data and analytics. Stream Hatchet has partnered with leading websites such as Esports Insider and Sandbox Network for similar reasons.
“Stream Hatchet has been a fantastic resource for us in a number of important ways, besides making it easier for us to market livestreams.” said Leo Jae Hun Woo, business development manager for Sandbox, in a press release. “Not only do they help us find good creators, their trend analysis and detailed channel data provide insights valuable in managing streamers’ content.”
As part of Millenial Esports’ portfolio of companies, Stream Hatchet joins its other divisions including Eden Games, Ideas+Cars and Allinsports.
Shares of Millennial Esports opened on Monday at C$0.99, climbing just under 1 percent to close at C$1. Year-to-date, its shares have risen by just over 11 percent.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Dorothy Neufeld, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.