Twitch provides a communal, digital hub for fans online. Last month, communities and viewers on Twitch reportedly helped set a new viewership record for the fourth time this year.

Further, research into Twitch's growing popularity and saturation has determined the platform's ten most watched categories last month, and the hours viewers have spent watching, to identify significant factors for the newly set record. Twitch's focus on viewer involvement, such as viewer rewards, goals, and incentives, appears to be paramount on the platform. In a new report, Twitch categories in May that reached a top ten spot for hours watched include games such as Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Grand Theft Auto 5.

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According to GameIndustry.biz, a monthly data record has been shared by StreamElements for the month of May. The report claims that "a cumulative 2.2 billion hours" have been watched on Twitch, which sets a new record for Twitch's concurrent viewership for the fourth time in 2021. StreamElements has shared a particular data compilation that details the categories on Twitch that have resulted in the platform's latest viewership record. The report states that the current record of 2.2 billion hours is a 37% increase from last year, and just above the previous month's record.

Twitch's Just Chatting category can be seen topping the data chart with 279 million hours watched. StreamElements' Top 10 Categories data also charts month-over-month changes. Some categories in May were seeing an increased percentage of viewership from previous months, while other categories were seeing a decreased percentage of viewership. Resident Evil Village has managed to enter the chart's tenth spot with 48 million hours watched.

Resident Evil Village securing a tenth place in the Top 10 Categories chart is impressive due to the game releasing in May, which is also why the chart does not have a month-over-month change for the game. Therefore, the popularity of some games and categories may sustain them as the highest rated in terms of hours watched. Either way, each category has helped push Twitch to a new viewership record.

Twitch's concurrent viewership indicates that Just Chatting has generated the most hours watched, showcasing that many fans and viewers enjoy interacting with streamers. However, each other category relates to a video game, which may portray video gaming as a dominant community in the majority of total hours watched. Recently, Twitch refused to co-stream Nintendo's E3 event in solidarity with content creators, since Nintendo had requested that fans do not stream the event.

Rather, it appears as though Twitch's viewership will only continue to grow. When data results for hours watched are showcased for the following months, it may be interesting to observe which categories remain in the highest ratings on StreamElements. Lately, the ASMR category, as well as the Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches category, have undergone scrutiny and controversy on Twitch. Twitch is currently celebrating Pride Month this June, and it will be exciting to see if other categories make debut appearances in the chart that topple others.

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Source: StreamElements, GamesIndustry.biz