YouTube Live Falls Below 50% Market Share as TikTok and Kick Surge in Q3 2025
- Sagar Mankar
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
YouTube Live’s dominance in the global livestreaming market has taken a hit, with the platform losing over 10% in total watch hours during Q3 2025.
According to the latest Streamscharts Report, YouTube’s share has fallen below 50% for the first time in years, signaling an industry in flux as TikTok and Kick continue to climb.
Streaming Industry Shifting in Q3 2025
The livestreaming industry remains strong overall. Viewers collectively spent 29.45 billion hours watching live content across all major platforms in Q3 — only a slight 0.5% drop from the previous quarter. However, beneath that stability lies a shifting power balance.
YouTube Live, once the undisputed leader, generated 13.25 billion Hours Watched (HW) this quarter — down 10.6% from Q2. This marks the first time in several years that YouTube’s market share has slipped to 45%, dropping below the symbolic halfway mark.
Meanwhile, TikTok Live continued its upward trajectory with a 14.9% increase, reaching 9.2 billion Hours Watched and claiming a 31.2% market share.
Kick, still the smallest of the major contenders, surged by 55% to 1.7 billion Hours Watched, showing that its audience, controversies and all, is still growing fast.
Twitch held steady at 4.3 billion Hours Watched, down 6.2% quarter-over-quarter, but still retaining its top-three position.
What’s Behind YouTube’s Decline?
The report attributes YouTube Live’s decline to both seasonal trends and increased competition. Summer months generally see fewer viewers indoors, and as audiences turn to TikTok for quick IRL interactions or Kick for looser, creator-driven experiences, YouTube’s long-form streams have lost momentum.
Still, YouTube remains the most-watched platform, and some categories are thriving. Sports content entered the top five for the first time this quarter, driven by coverage of the new football season and the FIFA Club World Championship. Brazilian streamer Casimiro “CazéTV” Miguel continues to be one of the most influential figures, while reality shows like La Casa de Alofoke have captured massive audiences.
On the gaming side, YouTube recorded 2.28 billion Hours Watched, led by League of Legends and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The MLBB Mid Season Cup and major esports tournaments helped stabilize gaming viewership, even as casual livestreams slowed down. IShowSpeed also made it to this list for the Europe and U.S. tour, but primarily for IRL content rather than gaming.
TikTok and Kick Changing the Game
TikTok Live, once synonymous with short-form dance videos, is now a full-fledged livestreaming hub. Its monetization features have proven especially attractive to creators, fueling consistent growth in both IRL and gaming content.
In Q3 2025, titles like Roblox, Garena Free Fire, and PUBG Mobile dominate TikTok’s gaming categories, while lifestyle and chat streams remain its core.
Kick, on the other hand, continues to ride a wave of notoriety. Despite ongoing controversies over moderation and content policies, its top creators, including Adin Ross, Maher “maherco” Sultaneh, and Hani “absi” Al-Qablan, pulled strong numbers this quarter.
Twitch Still Holds the Esports Crown
While Twitch’s overall hours declined, it remains the heart of competitive gaming and esports content. The platform hosted record-breaking events in Q3, including La Velada del Año V, which reached over 14 million concurrent viewers. Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos alone drew more than 9.3 million live viewers — a record for the platform.
American streamer Kai Cenat also made headlines with Mafiathon 3.0, a month-long event that racked up 82.5 million Hours Watched and cemented him as Twitch’s top creator.
Still, despite these successes, Twitch faces a slow downward trend in overall engagement, partly due to its crackdown on bot activity earlier in the year.
Smaller Platforms: A Mixed Bag
Outside the big four, the global picture remains uneven. SOOP Korea led smaller platforms with 326.3K Hours Watched, while CHZZK grew modestly by 2.7%, largely thanks to its strong Esports World Cup 2025 coverage. Platforms like Rumble and NimoTV, however, continued to decline, the latter falling by a staggering 60% since Q1.