Twitch, along with its vast sea of streamers and content creators, has grown considerably in the last few years. Despite some changes, both cosmetic and algorithmic, Twitch has somewhat remained the same since its creation: a place where content creators can grow and thrive doing what they love. The thrive part, however, has seemingly hit a roadblock, as Twitch's growth, at a whopping 11.92 million channels in 2019, has only diminished the potential of incoming streamers.

According to data recorded by SullyGnome, a statistics website dedicated to Twitch numbers crunching, the top streamers are overshadowing newcomers by a large margin. The top one percent (1,000) of the top one percent (100,000) of most-watched channels receive 50% of the 5.8 billion watched hours in 2019. The 100 most-watched Twitch channels, from the likes of Pokimane to Dr. Disrespect, account for 23% of 2.5 billion hours consumed by everyday viewers.

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It's a staggering number, yet it all boils down to airtime. The numbers point to a whopping 36 average hours of stream time among unique channels in 2019. For the top 1,000 channels, the average amount of hours streamed is 2,124, only about 500 hours under what the top 100 channels average in stream time.

Despite the relatively dour numbers, they suggest some growth beyond the top percent, as more mid-level streamers with little-to-no popularity have actually grown. Given that the top 1,000 Twitch channels all experienced an average of 2,100 hours watched in 2019, and what with the steady decline of the top 100, it seems some are still able to inch their way upwards. Yet Twitch is a temperamental platform. While mid-level streamers have gained, smaller brands and creators have been left in the dust. There will always be some sort of hardship in streaming on the popular site, as evidenced by Indiefoxx's recent comments about being a woman on Twitch.

Every now and then Twitch is observed by media through a lens of uncertainty, as it's not always the best place to nurture one's gaming lifestyle or brand. For one, its streaming guidelines have come under fire numerous times, most recently by way of its banning of a streamer for using racist Emotes, which had previously been approved by Twitch. Popular streamer PayMoneyWubby released a YouTube video dissecting the many issues Twitch has with its rules after he himself was banned unfairly.

Other news points to a plentitude of streamers jumping ship. With Mixer, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming, the world of streaming and its availability has changed drastically since Twitch overruled the sphere. As of writing, TwitchTracker notes that 52 billion minutes have already been watched in 2020 with an average of 1,360,000 concurrent viewers of nearly 53,100 active channels. It's a tough business, despite what it may look like from the outside, yet with immense dedication and gaming talent, anyone can make it into that top 1,000. All it takes is a bit of wit, an added dose of confidence, patience beyond belief, and no small amount of luck.

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