Recently, a new feature called Audience Location was introduced on Streams Charts. This tool reveals the countries where a Twitch channel's audience is based. While this information can sometimes be straightforward, there are many cases where a streamer has a substantial following from another country or even another continent. This article will explore examples that underscore the importance of understanding audience demographics, which is crucial for streamers, agencies, and brands.
One striking case is the channel of DuBu, a former professional Dota 2 player from South Korea. Although DuBu streams in English, his audience is largely composed of viewers from Russia and the USA, making up 17.2% and 15% of his total viewership, respectively. Remarkably, only 0.4% of his viewers are from South Korea, one of the lowest percentages among local streamers.
What accounts for this geographical anomaly? First of all, he's a Dota 2 streamer, a game that is largely popular in Europe, including Russia, and almost irrelevant in South Korea. Another reason is that DuBu's channel is frequently raided by other streamers who primarily target Western or Russian audiences. For instance, DuBu’s viewership overlaps significantly with that of bratishkinoff, a popular Russian streamer. Additionally, American Dota 2 streamers like Mason and Sneyking regularly raid DuBu's channel, further drawing in their audiences.
An intriguing anomaly in audience geography is evident among female streamers from Asia, particularly from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The Audience Location tool shows that many of their viewers are based in the USA. This occurs because American Twitch viewers are drawn to the exotic cultures of Asian countries, as well as anime and Vtuber content. For example, streamers like yeo_ul, Shibuya_Kaho, crazyjapanese, HAchubby, Zumi, and others have American viewer percentages ranging from 20% to 30%.
The Audience Location tool is invaluable for analyzing streamers who broadcast in international languages. Take, for example, Auronplay, one of Spain’s most popular Twitch streamers. Approximately 31% of his viewers are from Spain, which is quite high. However, it’s notable that a substantial 65% of his audience comes from other Spanish-speaking countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Argentina.
In contrast, French-language streamers tend to have a more localized audience. Most viewers of French streamers are from France, typically making up around 80% of their total audience. For example, aypierre, a French streamer, has 85% of his viewers from France, one of the highest percentages within his language group. This shows that while Spanish-speaking streamers have a geographically dispersed audience, French-speaking content creators have a more concentrated viewership in their home country.
A thorough analysis using Audience Location is essential not just for individual streamers, but also for organizational and company-managed channels. It enables the development of more targeted advertising strategies and better audience engagement. For instance, the official channel of GeoGuessr, a popular browser game where players guess locations on a world map based on photographs, is registered in Sweden. Despite this, most of its viewers are from Germany (11.5%), with over 10% from the USA, making it the second-largest audience share. Thus, while GeoGuessr’s channel has a notable following in the European Union, it also attracts a significant audience from across the Atlantic.
