Facebook launches new app to compete with YouTube. Facebook Gaming, driven by the expansion of the streaming audience due to coronavirus, has advanced the launch of its mobile app Facebook Gaming, for now, only on Android devices, via Google Play Store. The app is designed primarily for those who want to stream or watch the game livestreams.
The Facebook Gaming app had originally been announced for June, but mass quarantine efforts trying to prevent the expansion of COVID-19 have led to record consumer engagement with multi-platform gaming. In an attempt to capitalize on this, the launch was rushed. Facebook is waiting for Apple to release the iOS version.In my analysis, the Facebook Gaming app aims to compete with YouTube and comes to fill a gap left by Twitch, the main platform for live streaming games, which has great weight in hardcore games for PC, and a market share of 72% in game streaming. In this case, the Facebook Gaming app will be dedicated to mobile and casual games.
Facebook Gaming has Been Growing in the last two Years
By 2020, the scenario is a little different, for sure. Mixer, for example, gave up Latin America as long as YouTube grew its numbers in the region, conquering part of the 75 million Latin American gamers.
As the Stream Elements research says, Twitch’s audience grew 20% in 2019 in the number of hours watched. “Even in the face of strong competition, as never had in previous years; and losing influential streamers with Ninja, Twitch maintained its lead and managed to grow 20% last year compared to 2018.”
Stream Elements also shows that YouTube Gaming has grown by 16%; and the new networks, which made a lot of noise in 2019, Facebook Gaming and Mixer 210% and 149%, respectively. This high growth rate is common for incoming companies. It still doesn’t bother Twitch, which owns more than 72% of the world’s streaming game market share. In 2019, Twitch had 9.3 billion audience hours.
by Fernanda Domingues
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