Live-Streaming Data Shows "Just Chatting" Content Now Beats Games for Watch Time

A Q1 2026 Streamlabs/Stream Hatchet report shows "Just Chatting" overtook gaming as the most-watched category across major live-streaming platforms, with total watch hours up roughly 2.9% year-over-year to 21.49 billion. Twitch holds 51.3% of watch-hours despite streaming 76% of all hours, while Kick over-indexes on watch-time relative to hours streamed.

Creator-led, personality-driven content — not games or scripted programming — is now the primary demand driver in live streaming, a signal for any VaaS platform weighing creator or user-generated content integrations.

Source: https://digiday.com/media/in-graphic-detail-the-state-of-streaming-highlights-the-power-of-creators/