Since Q2 of 2021, the number of internet users watching live-streamed media each week has remained roughly stable.
From a baseline of 30.1% to a peak of 30.4% in Q3 2021, viewership has only fluctuated by around 3%. In Q2 of 2025, the same figure sat at 26.8%. It’s a low, granted, but not one that means anything. Live streaming has yet to meet its saturation point.
For podcasts, this shows a need to embrace this vertical, with more podcasts and radio shows integrating live streamed formats into their production.
Entertainment
Over the past decade or so, the way people consume media has changed dramatically. Many will remember getting Netflix DVDs in the post in the early 2010s. Now, DVDs are part of tech’s fossil record.
The darling of live streaming is arguably gaming. Amazon’s Twitch platform “captured” 60% of the global audience for game-watching – 105 million average users or 15.6 billion hours, according to GamesIndustry.biz.
A related concept, live casino gaming, added a certain immortality to live streaming, as it suddenly seemed compatible with entertainment of all kinds.
When you discover the best Vegas slots, you’ll also see how live casino games have emerged as a standout category in the online casino sector. These games include a presenter like any Twitch stream, but with the addition of real-money play in games like . Different themed live games have also sprung up to add variety to the standard experience.
The adaptability of live streaming begs one question: can it help businesses attract an audience? Specifically, a younger, tech-savvy audience that’s well-placed to receive marketing materials. There’s no easy answer. It may even be a matter of geography.
For instance, in China, Statista claims the most popular live-streaming category is e-commerce or shopping shows – a perfect pairing for the international business. In the West, it’s “Just Chatting”, a much more casual, non-commercial category.
Modern Algorithms
Podcasts should be looking at live streaming as a way to connect with their audience, even if it’s in a much more ad hoc manner than a structured Twitch presence, e.g., appearances on Facebook Live. The latter is one of the easiest routes into streaming for small businesses, needing nothing more than an idea and a smartphone. In Q3 2024, Facebook Live had 30,000 concurrent users.
From a shopping perspective, Facebook Live is the top platform for e-commerce events. The company reports that 57.8% of users have bought an item from a live stream, compared to 45.8% on Instagram (another Meta-owned brand) and just 14.4% on YouTube.
There are lessons to learn at the outset of any new campaign. Forbes notes that modern audiences aren’t interested in products in a vacuum – “they want an experience”. This might be an insight into how items are made, the launch party, or a Q&A. Luckily, all three make ideal topics for a live stream.
Live content is just as changeable as its more conventional cousin, social media. The MarketingDive website stresses that there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” (the problem that gave rise to cross-channel marketing in the first place). So, managers shouldn’t assume that messaging on YouTube will have the same impact in a live stream, for example.
A pitfall associated with online media is that follower counts are a perfect metric for success. They aren’t. The idea of “relevance, not scale” is key to falling into the good graces of modern algorithms. If it seems shareable to somebody, it already has relevance beyond its original target.
Overall, and like any marketing strategy, knowing your customer demographic – who they are and what they’re interested in – helps businesses decide on messaging. Live streaming is just one way to get that message across.