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The first six months of 2019 drew a very different picture than 2018 as esports headlined the top channels.
Meanwhile, a decline in hours watched for 2018’s top streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has led to more parity among top influencers who have each had their moment in the spotlight so far this year.
The following channels are ranked according to the total number of hours watched on Twitch 
from Jan. 1-June 30, with data compiled using TEO Access.
Year-Over-Year
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ rapid rise to prominence was the top story during the first half of 2018. His stream with popular rapper Drake in March gave a boost to his popularity that he would leverage for the rest of the year through numerous events and activations meant to mobilize his viewers.
This year Blevins’ viewership has seen a market correction in the form of nearly 100M fewer hours watched, but his stream is still strong enough to be the second most-watched among influencers behind fellow Fortnite player Turner “Tfue” Tenney.
On the esports side of things, Riot Games’ re-working of top League of Legends professional scenes has helped generate viewership growth. The Overwatch League saw a decline in total hours watched from January-June of 2018 because of a change in the league’s scheduling. Last year, OWL’s season began in January, but this year it didn’t start regular season play until February.
Top Channel: Riot Games
Riot Games’ League of Legends European Championship (LEC) began competition in 2019 with a fresh brand and increased viewership from 2018, and combined with the LoL Championship Series (LCS), the two leagues have produced consistent growth so far this year.
The North American LoL Championship Series led the way for Riot’s esports by moving to a franchise-model last year, and the European LCS emulated that reformation and used the opportunity to re-brand as well. The result for each league was a boost in viewership for the Spring Split as well as its playoffs.
Overall, Riot Games’ average viewership hasn’t increased astronomically. This year’s average concurrent viewership of 51K for all viewership is only up 4K from an average of 47K CCV in 2018 from January through June. However, the addition of around 100 hours or airtime in 2019 helped the Riot Games channel produce close to 13M more hours watched compared to 2018.
What’s Trending: Personal Parity
There’s no disputing that 2018 was dominated by Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, but this year has been a story of volatility among Twitch’s top streamers. Every influencer in the top 10 for the first half of the year has spent some amount of time as the top influencer on Twitch.
Turner “Tfue” Tenney has maintained his presence around the top due in part to his dedication to playing Fortnite at a highly competitive professional level. Blevins has continued to leverage his popularity and charisma to keep strong viewership. Meanwhile, Jaryd “Summit1g” Lazar, Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, and Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris have each taken turns at the top of Twitch by playing titles that have each had a short moment in the spotlight.
Lazar, who has had the strongest viewership of the three, drew attention for his Sea of Thieves play early in the year, and then he was at the forefront of Grand Theft Auto V’s rise. Grzesiek obtained his strongest viewership immediately following the release of Apex Legends due in part to his previous popularity as a PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS streamer.
Morris is the most recent influencer to turn up the heat when the World of Warcraft Classic beta attracted the attention of fans looking for a taste of nostalgia. While Morris hadn’t played WoW in a while, the allure of playing the game in its original form appealed to him as well as numerous other influencers.
