In the last year or so, live streaming has rapidly become one of the most common forms of online content.
With the recent coronavirus pandemic, it has acquired new relevance. Viewership has increased across many channels and new features are being added, the opportunities for advertisers and creators in this space.
Facebook Live is booming, with one in every five videos being a live stream. Other big sites, such as Instagram, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube, are adopting similar features. Our Twitch statistics go deeper into the platform that defined the format.
Keep reading for the latest streaming statistics and facts to see what else is trending! You’re in for a surprise.
Fascinating Live Streaming Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- Live streams have a 20% year-over-year growth rate.
- Netflix gained nearly 16 million new users at the beginning of 2020.
- Netflix has more than 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries.
- The global video streaming market is estimated at $191.1 billion in 2026.
- 90% of US households pay for at least one streaming video service, and the average household has four.
- The watch time of live streams grew by 250% in 2020.
- 54% of consumers prefer to see video content by the brands they follow.
- Live videos get 27% more minutes of watch time than on-demand content.
Streaming Statistics in 2026
The live streaming industry is expanding at breakneck speed. If you’re still uncertain if integrating professional broadcasting into your enterprise is worthwhile, check out our list of facts below.
We gathered the most important statistics to demonstrate the rise of the video streaming industry. With these figures in mind, you should have a better idea of what live streaming might entail for you.
Live Streaming Statistics to Keep an Eye on in 2026
Live streaming has been around for a short time, yet the trend is nearing its height. Without a doubt, it has piqued the interest of companies searching for new ways to produce content.
Driven by behemoths such as Vimeo, Twitter, and Facebook, streaming has turned video content distribution on its head.
1. Only 56% of people in the US watch cable or satellite TV in 2021.
(Source: Pew Research Center)
Streaming vs cable statistics show that the number of standard TV viewers has decreased drastically in the last few years. 71% of the people who gave up television say it is because of the easy access to streaming services.
2. 41% of internet users globally have watched live streams.
(Source: Adobe)
Given the rise of this type of content in recent years, these live streaming statistics are not surprising. In fact, the numbers are even higher in some places.
While 40% of Europeans have watched live video at least once, streaming is more popular in the Asian-Pacific region, with 56%.
3. 60% of the top 100 most popular YouTube live streams reached peak viewership in the last two years.
(Source: Google)
Among the most popular videos watched on this platform are “study skills” tutorials, recipe and shopping spree videos, and gaming. The latter is responsible for a great portion of the live streams.
4. YouTube has over 2 billion logged-in users per month.
(Source: YouTube)
YouTube is the world’s leading video streaming platform, with YouTube live stream viewers from over 100 countries. It reports more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users, which counts only people signed in to an account, so the number of people who watch it is higher still.
Live is a big part of that. YouTube says that over 30% of its daily logged-in viewers watched live content in the second quarter of 2025.
5. PC users generate the longest live streaming view time.
(Source: PRdaily)
The total amount of time spent viewing live streaming on mobile devices is 3.5 minutes, tablets (7.1 minutes), and PC (34.5 minutes).
Facebook live video statistics
As the Facebook Live network expands, so does the number of features and opportunities for new content. Facebook Live has a significant impact on how people view and engage with video.
Let’s dive into these eye-opening Facebook live video statistics to see what’s changed in the past few years.
6. Videos account for 15% of Facebook content.
(Source: Business2community)
Out of those, only 12% are live videos. Even though streams are more engaging, people still prefer to be on the safer side and upload pre-recorded content.
7. Facebook live videos get staggering views.
(Source: Bloggingx)
Facebook live videos are watched 64 billion times a day. For that reason, 78% of advertisers use this streaming platform.
8. Facebook live videos generate more engagement.
(Source: Biteable)
Facebook streaming statistics show that live content reaches more people, gets longer watch times, and receives more engagement from viewers than video posts. Live broadcasts reach twice as many people who spend nearly four times longer watching the stream.
9. Facebook live search increased by 330%.
(Source: Bloggingx)
In only one year, Facebook Live’s search increased by 330%. Given the better conversion rate, it’s no surprise businesses and creators are investing time and effort in it.
YouTube Live Stats
10. YouTube live streaming is more popular among younger generations.
(Source: Uscreen)
As of 2020, 46% of Gen Zs and Millennials in the UK and the US live-streamed YouTube video. The popularity of other streaming platforms among this population is much smaller—28% for Facebook Live, 27% for Zoom, etc.
11. 6% of US adults have a YouTube Live TV subscription.
(Source: Statista)
YouTube subscribers statistics reveal that while 65% of the respondents have heard of the service, most of them haven’t subscribed.
12. 8% of marketers use YouTube Live.
(Source: Brid)
While the platform is extremely popular among some demographic groups, a very small percentage of marketers take advantage of its live streaming possibilities.
In fact, more than half don’t use live video in their campaigns at all. The ones that do usually take advantage of Facebook live (38%).
Stream Stats about Twitch
13. Twitch averages over 6.9 million active streaming channels per month.
(Source: TwitchTracker)
TwitchTracker counts more than 6.9 million channels going live on Twitch in an average month, with roughly 90,000 streaming at any given moment. This page previously reported 7.16 million participating streamers in July 2020. The newer figure counts channels rather than unique people, so the two are not a direct comparison.
The platform’s user base saw a 175% growth at the beginning of the pandemic compared to the previous year. It’s also broadening its scope, streaming more and more non-gaming events.
14. Twitch dominates the streaming market.
(Source: Businessofapps)
People watched 27.9 billion hours of live streams across all broadcasting platforms in 2020. Twitch was responsible for 67% of the content hours viewed and 90% of the content streamed.
15. 65% of Twitch viewers are men.
(Source: BusinessofApps)
While the gap is getting smaller, the platform is still dominated by male viewers. Streaming statistics also show a bias toward the younger generation, with 73% of Twitch users being under the age of 35.
16. Twitch’s unique monthly users reached 15 million.
(Source: Venture Beat)
Out of those, three million are broadcasters. 500,000 of them create content on a daily basis.
Music Streaming Statistics for 2026
Music streaming is on the rise, with billions of dollars flowing into the market each year.
The majority of listeners now use subscription-based streaming platforms such as Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music. Online services like YouTube are also huge outlets for music lovers.
Here are some staggering music statistics and facts that illustrate the current development of this market.
17. US on-demand audio streams reached 1.4 trillion in 2025.
(Source: Luminate)
Luminate’s 2025 year-end report counts 1.4 trillion on-demand audio streams in the US, up 4.6% on 2024. The total includes streams of user-generated content.
US music streaming first passed one trillion streams in 2019, but that milestone counted audio and video streams together. The 2025 figure is audio only, which makes the growth since then more impressive, not less.
18. 89% of people worldwide use streaming services to listen to music.
(Source: Musically)
The video streaming services market share accounts for 47% of the global music consumption.
Paid audio streaming amounts to 37%, while free audio streaming—to 15%. 23% of listeners confess to using an unauthorized stream-ripping service.
19. 62% of subscribers use streaming services because of the instant access to music.
(Source: Comparitech)
A comparable proportion (61%) enjoy the variety of choices, while 47% value the ease of streaming.
20. The COVID-19 pandemic was marked by an increase in audio streaming globally.
(Source: Music Business Worldwide)
Worldwide music streaming stats reveal a 22.6% growth in the time spent streaming audio. This number was lower for US audiences, with a 17% increase.
21. YouTube is the most popular music streaming service in the world.
(Source: YouGov)
Looking at the music streaming market share worldwide, YouTube comes first—44% of the adult population uses the platform to listen to music. Spotify comes in second with 27%.
22. Spotify leads in music streaming services market share with 34%.
(Source: Statista)
Another study, comparing the number of Spotify and Apple Music subscribers, elevates the former to the number one position.
In the first quarter of 2020, Spotify reported having 130 million paid subscribers worldwide, while Apple Music enjoyed a user base of only 72 million.
23. 17 million people stream-ripped illegally in the US in 2018.
(Source: Forbes)
Stream-ripping is a form of music piracy in which people use streaming services, such as YouTube or Spotify, to download music illegally.
Music download stats from that year show that 46% of stream-rippers do that for the free access to music offline. Another 37% want to own songs they don’t like enough to purchase.
Demographics of Streaming: Streamers Around the World
Different people stream differently.
24. 2.47 million viewed TheGrefg’s stream.
(Source: Business Insider)
History was made on Twitch on January 11, 2021, when Spanish streaming phenomenon David ‘TheGrefg’ Cánovas Martnez broke the record for the most-watched live stream.
During his stream, TheGrefg revealed his Fortnite skin in front of 2.47 million viewers, breaking previous Twitch viewing records.
25. MrBeast is the YouTube channel with the most subscribers.
(Source: Brandwatch)
As of September 17, 2026, MrBeast had about 517 million subscribers, followed by T-Series with 314 million and Cocomelon with 202 million. MrBeast overtook T-Series for the top spot in 2024 and passed 500 million subscribers in June 2026.
Subscriber counts change every day, so treat these as a snapshot. When this page was first written, T-Series led with 182 million.
26. Netflix has more than 300 million paid memberships.
(Source: Netflix)
Netflix describes itself as having more than 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries, up from about 200 million when this page was first written.
It remains the biggest subscription streaming service in the world. Paid memberships count accounts, not people, and a single membership is often shared across a household.
27. 90% of US households pay for at least one streaming video service.
(Source: Deloitte)
Deloitte’s 2026 Digital Media Trends survey, run in October and November 2025, found that 90% of US households pay for at least one subscription video on demand (SVOD) service. The average household pays for four.
This page used to report that 43% of Americans subscribed to both pay-TV and streaming, with the average American using three streaming platforms. The newer figure measures households rather than individuals, so the numbers are not directly comparable.
28. In 2019, Spotify had 95 million monthly users in Europe.
(Source: Statista)
The majority of Spotify subscribers that year came from Europe. The Swedish service was big in North America and Latin America, too, with 27% and 22% of the total user base respectively.
Streaming Industry Market Share
29. The global video streaming market is estimated at $191.1 billion in 2026.
(Source: Grand View Research)
Grand View Research valued the global video streaming market at $129.3 billion in 2024 and estimates it at $191.1 billion for 2026. It expects growth of 21.5% a year from 2025 to 2030, taking the market to $416.8 billion.
An earlier forecast from Allied Market Research, quoted here before, expected the market to reach $149.34 billion by 2026. Different firms measure the market differently, but by either estimate it has grown faster than expected.
30. Netflix holds about 20% of the US SVOD market.
(Source: JustWatch)
JustWatch’s second-quarter 2026 report puts Netflix first among US subscription streaming services with 20%, ahead of Amazon Prime Video at 17%, Disney+ at 15% and Apple TV+ at 13%.
JustWatch measures share from the activity of its roughly 20 million monthly US users, not from subscriber counts. The lead is narrow, and it has been shrinking as more services compete for the same viewers.
31. 82% of US adults who use streaming services claim it is more entertaining than cable.
(Source: Statista)
There may be a variety of explanations for this phenomenon—more channels to choose from, lower rates, etc.
In comparison, only 65.5% of cable subscribers find pay-TV more entertaining than streaming.
Wrap Up
That concludes our compilation of the most notable streaming statistics. The numbers clearly show that the streaming industry is on the rise.
The fanbase of music, film, and podcast streaming is rapidly expanding as more users replace conventional TV with internet-based services. The audience consists predominantly of the youthful Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X generations looking for new and exciting content.
Live streaming presents a plethora of opportunities to both marketers and consumers, but the competition is fierce.
In order to stand out, you must create high-quality, entertaining content with a powerful message intended to inspire viewers.
