Significant shifts in South Korea as Twitch, the Amazon-owned live-streaming platform, prepares to shutdown its services by February 2024.
This decision, influenced by prohibitively high network costs and regulatory challenges, brings into focus the impact on Korean streamers and the emergent opportunities for local streaming platforms.
In the first six weeks after the announcement, changes in viewer and creator behaviour can already be seen across Twitch and AfreecaTV, as well as Kick and YouTube.
Analysis of Streaming Data from non-esports, Korean-speaking channels (November 1st, 2023–January 17th, 2024)
Average Minutes Watched (AMA) Before and After Twitch’s Announcement:
- Twitch: AMA decreased from 134,463 to 116,476, a drop of 15.44%.
- AfreecaTV: AMA rose from 104,714 to 122,103, an increase of 14.24%.
- Kick: AMA increased from 357 to approximately 600, a surge of 40.41%.
