In addition to hosting videos, YouTube is also well-known for its live streaming, where a sizable portion of the content consists of broadcasts of video games. A new Streams Charts article shows which YouTube streamers were most popular with viewers in Q1 2023.
Throughout the first three months of the current year, Moroccan streamer ilyas elmaliki - الياس المالكي rose to the top spot as the most popular video game content creator on YouTube Gaming. With 258 hours of airtime between January and March, he racked up more than 8.9 million Hours Watched, drawing 34.7K Average Viewers to his broadcasts.
IShowSpeed, an American streamer who frequently plays FIFA and makes IRL entertainment content, is in second place, with a small gap on Hours Watched, but with a high Average Viewers number (46.4K). His broadcasts totaled 8.5 million Hours Watched in a month.
TimTheTatman, one of the most popular video game streamers in the U.S., is also in the Top 3 with 7.5 million Hours Watched. In January and March, he streamed CS:GO, Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone. DrDisRespect is also one of the American creators in the Top 10.
Nobru, a top esports player and streamer from Brazil focusing on Fee Fire, is in fourth place in the overall ranking. The most popular mobile game streamer of the platform had 7.1 million Hours Watched in a month.
Japanese VTuber Kuzuha, a member of the NIJISANJI agency, is at the bottom of the list with 6.9 million Hours Watched. One of the world's most-watched YouTuber, who recently amassed over 1.5 million followers, often streams Apex Legends, League of Legends, and popular single-player titles. In addition to Kuzuha, Japanese female VTuber Pekora Ch. 兎田ぺこら also made it to the ranking.
The list for the third quarter includes three streamers from Indonesia. One of them, Windah Basudara, entertained viewers with his FIFA, Resident Evil 4, and Contraband Police streams in January and March. The other two, MARSHA OZAWA and XINNN, primarily streamed Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (including ML:BB esports competitions).
Pekora hosted the most popular broadcast of the quarter: the real sensation was her broadcast of the streamer competition in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. More than 174K people followed the New Year's Eve broadcast.
We should note that the streamer ranking in terms of Peak Viewers slightly overlaps with the Top 10 in terms of Hours Watched. Both of the Top-10 includes the same six streamers. Among the other creators, we can point out another VTuber Towa Ch. 常闇トワ. Her most popular broadcast was the 2023 Hololive New Year Cup, held in Mario Kart.
Read also: Kings League viewer statistics — most popular matches, teams and broadcast channels
It should be noted that Spanish streamer Xbuyer made it to the Top 10. His Kings League streams, a football tournament featuring the stars of Spanish football and streaming, were especially popular. The match of Xbuyer Team against Kunisports, involving the mysterious Enigma 69 (who is rumored to be a former Cádiz striker Nano Mesa) and Argentine football legend Javier Saviola, drew more than 106K PV.