eSports
10 Most Watched Twitch Streamers of 2020 So Far as Ninja and Others Eye Return
– Summit1g hits top spot with 75million hours watched
– End of Mixer leaves door open to Ninja & Shroud
– No Myth or Pokimane in top 10 list
2020 has been a strange year — but Twitch streamers have had it stranger than most. The global lockdown has driven huge spikes across the streaming world as these entertainers have been a lifeline for millions of fans looking for company and distraction from the safety of their home.
This led to 101% year-on-year viewership growth in April.
The award-winning esports bookmakers at Unikrn have created a list of the top 10 most watched twitch streamers of 2020 so far.
This comes with this week’s news that Microsoft has ditched their own streaming service, Mixer, leaving the door open for some of the biggest streamers on the planet to return to Twitch.
Tyler Blevins, known on Twitch as Ninja, accrued 14 million followers on Twitch before leaving to join Mixer in October last year, but the Fortnite gamer joined other big names such as Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek and Cory “King Gothalion” Michael as free agents with Mixer’s collapse.
So, they too could make this list before the end of the year!
Most Watched Twitch Streamers of 2020
10.
TimTheTatman
Name: Timothy Betar
Games: Fortnite, Overwatch, Call of Duty:
Country: United States
Age: 29
The online personality has recently become an icon.
Now with nearly five million followers on Twitch, you may have seen the 29-year-old in the NFL 100 advert at Superbowl LIV earlier this year.
Followers: 4,947,610
Watch time in 2020: 24,293,873 hours
9.
Lirik
Name: Saqib Zahid
Games: PUBG, GTA V, others
Country: United States
Age: 29
Lirik has become well-known for his walkthroughs and guides as well as his competitive multiplayer gaming.
The 29-year-old is the king of variety, trying new games to give his fans a fair review of new opportunities.
Followers: 2,624,326
Watch time in 2020: 24,647,532 hours
8.
Rubius
Name: Ruben Gundersen
Games: Fortnite, Minecraft and others
Country: Spain
Age: 30
Rubius is rumoured to be one of the highest earners on the platform.
It was reported that he was estimated to be earning around $135,000 per video.
Followers: 5,062,556
Watch time in 2020: 24,934,263 hours
7.
Tyler1
Name: Tyler Steinkamp
Games: League of Legends
Country: United States
Age: 25
In January, Tyler1 set himself the challenge of reaching Challenger playing only Jungle on League of Legends ‘to prove a point’.
Last month, he achieved his goal, declared himself “the GOAT” and surprising many of his followers.
Followers: 3,387,929
Watch time in 2020: 26,644,027 hours
6.
NICKMERCS
Name: Nick Kolchef
Games: Fortnite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Country: United States
Age: 29
NICKMERCS has long been considered one of the best Fortnite streamers out there.
He’s even now got so popular that rapper Drake has publicly given the gamer permission to use his music in his streams.
Followers: 3,671,400
Watch time in 2020: 26,874,307 hours
5.
Tfue
Name: Turner Tenney
Games: Fortnite
Country: United States
Age: 22
Amassing a fanbase of more than 8.5million on Twitch, Tfue now holds the highest number of followers on the platform.
The 22-year-old took a break from Fortnite back in May after calling out the game for being “unfair”.
Followers: 8,537,326
Watch time in 2020: 30,823,402
4.
Anomaly
Name: Ludwig Lagerstedt
Games: CS:GO, Valorant
Country: Sweden
Age: 25
Anomaly’s figures have skyrocketed in the past few months, much because of his decision to re-stream 24/7 Valorant VODs.
There’s nothing wrong with this in terms of how Twitch sees it, though some fans and streamers have taken a disliking.
Followers: 2,631,307
Watch time in 2020: 47,037,756
3.
xQcOW
Name: Félix Lengyel
Games: Overwatch and various other games
Country: Canada
Age: 24
XQC is never too far from the headlines.
The skilled gamer even revealed last year how YouTube wrote to him directly to ask him to never stream with them.
Followers: 3,068,964
Watch time in 2020: 55,745,432 hours
2.
Gaules
Name: Alexandre Borba
Games: CS:GO
Country: Brazil
Age: 36
Gaules has been a sensation on Twitch over the past few months.
The Brazilian broke his own national record of 263,000 simultaneous viewers when he reached a peak of 393,000 viewers hosting the final of the BLAST Premier Spring Finals of North America.
Followers: 1,642,928
Watch time in 2020: 57,671,713 hours
1.
Summit1g
Name: Jaryd Lazar
Games: CS:GO, Sea of Thieves, GTA V and more
Country: United States
Age 33
And 2020’s top streamer so far is Summit1g.
Twitch have even gone out their way to lock their most prized asset down by offering the popular gamer a new contract in recent weeks.
Followers: 5,357,969
Watch time in 2020: 75,839,528 hours
Most Watched Twitch Streamers of 2020
| Channel | Watch time | Stream time | Average viewers | Followers | |
| 1 | summit1g | 75,839,528 | 1,903 | 35,811 | 5,357,969 |
| 2 | Gaules | 57,671,713 | 4,218 | 13,694 | 1,642,928 |
| 3 | xQcOW | 55,745,432 | 1,800 | 28,975 | 3,068,964 |
| 4 | Anomaly | 47,037,756 | 1,148 | 19,808 | 2,631,307 |
| 5 | Tfue | 30,823,402 | 1,071 | 28,012 | 8,537,326 |
| 6 | NICKMERCS | 26,874,307 | 1,146 | 22,386 | 3,671,400 |
| 7 | loltyler1 | 26,644,027 | 985 | 26,468 | 3,387,929 |
| 8 | Rubius | 24,934,263 | 510 | 47,931 | 5,062,556 |
| 9 | LIRIK | 24,647,532 | 1,103 | 21,928 | 2,624,326 |
| 10 | TimTheTatman | 24,293,873 | 865 | 27,126 | 4,947,610 |
*Statistics from Dec 29 2019 – June 26th
eSports
Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video
Prime Video, one of the leading entertainment destinations, will premiere the five-part documentary Esports World Cup: Level Up on June 6, with new episodes released weekly. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Elton John: Never Too Late and Martha), the series goes behind-the-scenes of the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2024 — a defining moment in global esports, where over $60 million in prize money ignited a high-stakes, multinational battle to crown the world’s top esports Club.
The series is produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with R.J. Cutler directing, John Dorsey serving as showrunner, and Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty executive producing. Level Up will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Esports World Cup: Level Up offers a rare look inside a global competition that’s redefining what it means to be a champion for a new generation of athletes and fans. R.J. Cutler and his team of expert storytellers embedded themselves within the eight-week tournament – watched by over 500 million fans globally – to uncover the personal sacrifices, rivalries and stakes driving the action.
Shot in verité style, the series combines intimate home visits from around the world and on-the-ground coverage from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It follows a wide cast of characters – from Club CEOs orchestrating million-dollar strategies to rising stars chasing life-changing wins – while capturing the pulse of elite esports competition.
“What drew me to the Esports World Cup was the compelling human stories unfolding within this high-stakes arena. Level Up isn’t just about the incredible competition and prize money; it’s about the dedication, the passion, and the sheer will of these athletes and teams pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Under high pressure, we discover the true character of the competitors who vie for $60 million, but who also expose their humanity in the process,” said Cutler.
At the heart of Level Up is the “EWC Club Championship,” an unprecedented, multi-title tournament format where Clubs compete across more than 20 games, earning points toward a single leaderboard. Every match, every point, reshapes the race for global dominance. With the highest prize pool in esports history on the line, the EWC is not just a tournament – it’s a proving ground for the next generation of sports icons.
“A win might make the headlines — but the real story is the people behind it. Level Up dives into the human side of esports: the pressure, the ambition, the sacrifices. It’s about what it really takes to compete at the highest level — and why it matters. R.J. is the best at bringing those stories to life, and this one captures the heart of what we’re building,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
The post Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Esports betting pioneer adds daily fantasy esports offering to its growing range of products, with its sights set on the US market
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, data and betting products, has continued to push boundaries with the launch of Daily Fantasy eSports, a truly groundbreaking product for operators and players.
Daily Fantasy eSports has been developed for the US market but will have global appeal with players drawn in by the chance to create virtual teams of real-life players and earn points based on their actual game performances.
Contests range from daily matchups to season-long leagues, with plenty of prizes up for grabs.
PandaScore’s Daily Fantasy eSports is backed by an expert-led esports trading team to deliver fast, accurate settlement data across unique, player-focused markets driven by the provider’s established and proven betting models.
An Interactive Player Widget serves up rich player stats and profiles, with PandaScore’s powerful BetBuilder enabling same-game parlays.
But that’s not all. PandaScore has more than 17,000 players in its esports player age and info database, the largest in the market.
It also offers dedicated helper codes and documentation to ensure smooth and seamless operator integration. It really is as easy as 1-2-3.
1 – There is a kick-off call to align on goals, timelines and fantasy formats.
2 – The operator accesses PandaScore’s dedicated fantasy-focused API to accelerate the build
3 – The dedicated integration manager ensures effortless onboarding and a successful launch
By leveraging PandaScore’s odds and data, alongside its team of experts and specialists, online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports operators can launch faster, ensure accuracy and scale their Daily Fantasy eSports offering with confidence.
Oliver Niner, Head of B2B at PandaScore, said: “Daily Fantasy eSports is a pioneering product from PandaScore that will really hit the mark with operators across North America, as well as other global markets.
“It allows operators to engage esports fans and bettors with a compelling product and proposition, but without the degree of risk that comes with standard betting as the payouts are controlled.
“Daily Fantasy eSports is already live with Dabble and is performing incredibly well, so we look forward to going live with more operators in the coming months.
“This really is a game-changing product, and we can’t wait to see it become available at some of the biggest betting brands in North America and beyond.”
The launch of Daily Fantasy eSports complements PandaScore’s growing esports betting offering, which includes odds and data for a huge number of disciplines, plus betting products like its BetBuilder, MicroMarkets and StoryBuilder.
The post PandaScore launches game-changing Daily Fantasy eSports product appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Esports Charts, a Ukraine-born analytics company that aggregates real-time viewership insights about esports, has won the Esports Innovation Award at the EsportsNext Industry Awards, hosted by the Esports Trade Association (ESTA) in Dallas, US.
The Esports Innovation Award recognizes an organization or individual that has introduced groundbreaking technology, services, or strategies significantly advancing the esports industry.
Esports Charts was honored for its scalable analytics platform, which provides comprehensive tournament and viewership statistics across more than 25 livestreaming services — helping stakeholders from publishers and teams to fans make smarter, data-driven decisions.
“Winning the Innovation Award from ESTA is an important milestone for us as a leading esports analytics service in the world. Also, we’re especially proud to represent Ukraine-born innovation on an international stage.
“From day one, our mission has been to bring clarity and transparency to the world of esports data. And this recognition from the industry is both an honor and a motivation to keep raising the bar.
“Thank you to our incredible team and partners, who believed in us from the start. This award is a shared success — and we’re just getting started,” Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts.
The post Esports Charts Wins “Esports Innovation Award” at the EsportsNext Industry Awards appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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