Game Streaming and Launches

•  The major way the general public uses Twitch is to stream games, have fun, and interact with other gamers.
• More than 2.2 million Twitch creators broadcast live games on Twitch every month.
• Fortnite, the most viewed game in 2018, had a peak viewership of over 1.4 million.
• The general public also uses Twitch to watch game premieres and launch. For instance, EA released Apex Legends on Twitch without prior announcement or much traditional marketing. The game saw more than 2.5 million players within 24 hours after release, and had 25 million players by the end of its first week."

Video Streaming

• Twitch users spend an average of 95 minutes a day streaming video content on the platform.
• Twitch viewers consumed 255 billion minutes of streamed video content in 2017.
• Twitch has between 2.2 and 3.2 million streamers monthly.

Esports Participation

• Esports, a gaming competition with millions of dollars in cash prices, accounts for over 21.3% of Twitch viewership. People use Twitch to follow and compete in the competition.
• The record for a single stream concurrent users in Twitch is 1,025,493 viewers, and "it was a stream from ELEAGUE TV, a professional esports team."

NBA Games Streaming

• Twitch acquired the right to stream minor NBA games recently and users on the platform are now using the platform to stream some live NBA games.

Earning Revenue

• Twitch has a partner program that allows content creators and broadcasters to monetize their streams and earn revenue.
• There are currently over 27,000 partners and 220,000 affiliates on Twitch.
• Twitch content creators share in advertising revenue and can also create exclusive content and charge for access to the content.
• Partners are also able to sell merchandise on Twitch.
• Twitch streamers generated over $81 million on Twitch in 2017.

Broadcasting

• The primary way the media are using Twitch right now is to broadcast their programs targeted at young millennials.
• For instance, "ESPN is experimenting with a teen-focused NBA broadcast on the platform’s app that reflects traditional sports’ pivot to viewing experiences more similar to the game streaming platform Twitch."
•  The Washington Post also launched a Twitch channel where they regularly broadcast must-watch news and political events. The live coverage of events will be hosted by the Post's Libby Casey.
• The Washington Post first tested the service by live streaming "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Capitol Hill testimony and included analysis by its reporters. The real-time conversations and viewer engagement around the event showed that there was interest in the service, the publisher said."

Hosting Series

• The Washington Post also uses Twitch to host a series called “Playing Games with Politicians”.
• According to the Washington Post, "in “Playing Games with Politicians,” Weigel will interview prominent politicians while they play a video game. Over the course of a 30-60 minute live stream, users can follow along as the two discuss what’s happening on Capitol Hill and in the headlines and take questions while engaging in a game."

Advertising and Generating Revenues

• People aged 18 – 34 make up 55% of Twitch users and the average age of a Twitch user is 21 years. Hence, media agencies looking to target that demographic sometimes turn to Twitch to advertise to the demographic group.
•  Media who share content actively are also Twitch partners and use the platform to generate revenue through advertising and sponsorship for brands targeting the demographic.

Getting the Latest Information on the Gaming Brands

•  Gaming brands sometimes premier games on Twitch and so traditional media use Twitch to get all the latest information about such games.
• For instance, "in February 2019, EA released Apex Legends on Twitch without prior announcement or much traditional marketing. The game saw more than 2.5 million players within 24 hours after release, and had 25 million players by the end of its first week." In such cases, the media uses Twitch to find relevant information they need to report.

Advertising

• Brands use Twitch to advertise their products, targeting the predominantly white males in the platform that don't care much about traditional TV.
• About 10% of Twitch users are Latinos and are also targeted by brands.
• Brands often partner with top influencers on the platform to advertise their products and services.

Product Launch

•  Gaming brands and developers use Twitch to launch and premier their games.
• One of such live game premiers drew over 436,000 viewers.
• For instance, "in February 2019, EA released Apex Legends on Twitch without prior announcement or much traditional marketing. The game saw more than 2.5 million players within 24 hours after release, and had 25 million players by the end of its first week."

Sell Product on Twitch

•  Brands sell merchandise on Twitch and generate revenue.
• Brands use Twitch to give fans a preview of products and allow them to pre-order the product.
• Brands also use Twitch to make special offers to the gamers as well as cross-sell and upsell to their customers.

Customer Feedback and Engagement

• Brands don't just use Twitch to launch, advertise or sell their products, they also get feedback from passionate and active users that help them build a better relationship with their customers and improve their product offerings.
• Brands also get the chance to increase user retention "by creating a watch/play loop by driving players to watch your game on Twitch and incentivize viewers to go back to the game. "

Gender

• Twitch users are predominantly male, with 81.5% of users being male and the rest are females.

Age

• The majority of Twitch users are aged 18-34 year-olds, representing 55% of all users in 2018.
• The average age of a Twitch user is 21 years.
•  About 71% of Twitch users are millennials.

Race

• Twitch's audience is predominantly white, representing about 71.5% of total users.
• About 10.2% of Twitch users are Latinos.
• About 3.9% of Twitch users are Blacks or Africa Americans.
• About 7.8% of Twitch users are Asian or Pacific Islanders.
• About 0.7% of Twitch users are native Americans.
• The percentage of Twitch users that fall in "Other" racial category is 5.8%.

Geographic Location

• About 21.32% of Twitch users are in the US.
• About 6.36% and 6.31% of users are from Germany and Russia respectively.
• About 5.25% and 5.05% are from Brazil and the UK respectively.
• The majority of users are also English-speaking people, with 62.87% of Twitch activity occurring in English.

Employment

• About 57.12% of Twitch users are students.
• About 22.45% are employed full-time.
• About 8.49% are employed part-time.
• The percentage of Twitch users that are unemployed is 10.31%.

Income

• About 56.48% of Twitch users earn less than $10,000.
• The percentage of Twitch users that earn between $10,000 and $29,999 is 21.81%. 
• The percentage of Twitch users that earn between $30,000 and $49,999 is 11.41%.
• The percentage of Twitch users that earn between $50,000 and $69,999 is 5.11%. 
• The percentage of Twitch users that earn between $70,000 and $89,999 is 2.10%. 
• The percentage of Twitch users that earn $90,000 and above is 3.10%.

Education

• The percentage of Twitch users with no education is 0.18%.
• The percentage of Twitch users with primary-level education is 8.6%.
• The percentage of Twitch users with secondary-level education is 52.19%.
• The percentage of Twitch users with upper-level education is 38.96%.

Research Strategy

Interest and Lifestyle

• Twitch users are highly interested in gaming, with its core users spending over 20 hours a week on its platform streaming games.
• While Twitch users spend a lot of time-consuming video content online, they are generally not interested in traditional TV media.
• While the majority of Twitch users are enthusiastic gamers, there are also people interested in artists, cooks, craftspeople, programmers, animators, and more.
• The audience is also very much into fantasy and role-playing.

Values

• Twitch users value a sense of community that is why they actively discuss and share their interests and hobbies with each other. In 2017, Twitch users "sent 16 billion chat messages and interacted with Twitch Extensions 4.9 billion times."
• They are also very passionate about gaming, actively streaming their games when playing and watching others play games.
• The users are not that sensitive to swearing, harsh language, and profanities.
• Twitch users are also charitable, raising over $75 million for over 100 charities.
• They are generally fun-loving people that enjoy laughing and making fun of situations and people.
• There have also been reports of bullying, including racial- and gender-related bullying in the community. About 9.7% of white men said they have been bullied on Twitch, while 19.8% said they have seen bullying on Twitch.
• For people of other racial groups, 20.5% of non-white-males said that they have been personally bullied while 37.5% said they have seen bullying on Twitch.
• About "46.1% of women have witnessed some sort of gender- or race-based bullying from viewers, compared to 22.1% of men "
• "From the transgender, androgynous, etc. segment 47.7% have experienced bullying."

Media Consumption and Habits

• Twitch users are active video consumers, with daily active users spending an average of 95 minutes daily on Twitch.
• Twitch users also love to interact and be connected with other people while watching or streaming content.
• Twitch users are also heavy mobile device users, with a third (35%) of Twitch users managing their game streams via smartphones and tablets.