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When David TheGrefg Martinez broke Twitch’s record of 2.4 million concurrent viewers, it led to much discussion about the future of Twitch. Where it used to be mostly American streamers making a name for themselves on the platform, it now seems that international Twitch streamers are making a name for themselves as well.
Stream Elements’ CEO, Doron Nir, was well aware of the importance of this success in an interview with IGN Magazine.
All major live broadcast platforms have a broad international base, but a move like this by a Spanish streamer helps draw attention to the overall attractiveness of the industry.
In fact, there are many other issues that can be addressed, and here are a few of them.
THE WORLD COMMUNITY HAS DENOUNCED
While some international streamers have already ventured into Twitch, it has taken years for them to meet their American counterparts. There were a few recognizable characters, but most were professional gamers. At the Esports 2020 awards, it was announced that international banners such as Ibai Llanos and Naman’s Death Sandeep Mathur were nominated for the banner of the year award in the sport. To everyone’s surprise, Llanos won the award while Mortal took first place.
The Llanos’ victory opened the door for foreign language banners to gain the same respect and attention as their English-speaking counterparts. Gone are the days when only international professional players carried flags, as Llanos has proven that animators and content creators can make a big difference too.
And this is confirmed by TheGrefg’s last performance. Beating Tyler Ninja Blevins, who was one of Twitch’s biggest stars, is no small feat. Grefg didn’t just outdo Ninja, he was biased. It even surpassed Twitch’s 1.7 million concurrent viewers on 2019 Worlds.
2 million viewers versus 635,000 for Ninja or 1.7 million for League of Legends? How could you undo that decision? The 635,000 Ninja viewers witnessed his collaboration with Canadian rapper Drake and the Worlds, one of the world’s biggest airport tournaments. 2 Million Grefga was just revealing his Fortnite skin.
The pandemic may have contributed to Grefga’s success, as viewers are more likely to be looking for something interesting in this time of crisis. In fact, Twitch’s numbers have skyrocketed due to the recession.
Whether his performance was caused by the pandemic or not, he did the impossible.
And it’s not just Ibai or Grefg, but other non-English speaking streamers like Gaules, auroplay, and Rubius that have made it into the top 10 of Twitch viewers in 2020.
TWITCHIS STILL THE DOMINANT STREAMING PLATFORM
When Dr. Disrespect was banned from Twitch, some were quick to point out that it could mean the death of the platform. Having one of the biggest names in the industry is something that can rock the boat.
There are other big names on Twitch like Shroud, Tyler1, Ninja and Valkyrae, so the platform doesn’t need to hit the panic button. At one point, Schrud left the platform because Mixer wanted to make it his franchisee. But disaster struck as darkness fell, forcing Schrood to return to Twitch.
However, the rise of the international community has allowed Twitch to maintain its status as a major streaming destination. The popularity of Grefg and Ibai has shown that there is a strong international presence in the sector, complemented by the efforts of other non-English speaking broadcasters. Their community is putting the spotlight on the international scene, which could explain Twitch’s increase in audience.
YouTube and Facebook are both knocking on doors, but their numbers aren’t enough to undo Twitch’s dominance. The rise of the international community on Twitch has slowed their progress.
FORTNITE IS STILL THE GREATESTTWITCH GAME EVER.
Whether you like it or not, Fortnite is still the number one game on Twitch. You can argue for days that Fortnite’s decision to buy the Walking Dead, Star Wars, Halo, and Marvel comics is simply a service to the fans, but in the end, the game is still on.
And don’t try to fool me into thinking Fortnite is a game that’s dying because there’s nothing new. The fact that Grefg’s skin reveal has reached 2 million more viewers than any other airport event means the game has more impact than the rumors.
From 64 million viewing hours in 2019 to 108 million hours in 2020 – that’s already something that will surprise you so much that the deliciously cold beer will fall out of your hands.
The other matches did their best, but he still couldn’t bring down the giant. This is not expected to change in the coming years. Will there be a potential machine for the industry? Will only time tell? The same question applies to Grefg, whether it has retained its important achievements.
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