Streaming market analyst Stream Hatchet have launched its Q2 2025 report, which incorporates a number of new insights into the world of streaming and esports. Amongst the information is the information that in Q1 of 2025, co-streaming surpassed the official broadcast for esports tournaments by way of hours watched.
The information marks the turning level in what has been a long-running development, with the 2 knowledge factors transferring nearer and nearer over the previous couple of years. The report revealed that co-streaming surpassed official broadcast, regardless of official broadcasts additionally rising 30% quarter-over-quarter, with general esports viewership rising by 6% year-over-year.
OhnePixel’s IEM Dallas 2025 streams set the report because the most-watched co-stream within the Q2 interval, with roughly 298,000 concurrent viewers.
Co-streaming is a typically controversial however symbiotic relationship
At instances, the follow has brought on controversy within the esports trade, because the success of co-streamers has been linked to the regression of official broadcast alternatives and high quality. Situations embrace when LPL introduced its co-streaming-only mannequin, ending the usage of official casters, and MSI having a smaller workforce for expertise that’s typical for the occasion.
The latter instance caused a response from Chris ‘PapaSmithy’ Smith, who acknowledged, “The one impartial variable of success is whether or not Caedrel activates his costream or not.”
But the follow continues to be allowed, and sometimes formally supported by match organisers, with Caedrel, OhnePixel, and Tarik all invited to co-stream from a few of the most prestigious occasions of their favoured video games regardless of their streams routinely outranking the official streams.
Caedrel just lately attended MSI, Ohnepixel streamed dwell from the Spodek Enviornment at IEM Katowice 2025, and Tarik attends most Masters and Champions tournaments as a co-streamer. His newest in-person look, at VCT Grasp Toronto, even noticed the Canadian enjoying the showmatch in entrance of his house crowd.
For match organisers, co-streaming appears to be helpful for the metrics they’re concentrating on, doubtless hours watched on the occasion as a complete, not merely on their official streams.
Esports streaming traits – League of Legends is the most-watched esports title
The report famous that general esports viewership is up by 6% year-over-year, drawing 729 million hours watched in Q2 of 2025 regardless of the timeframe that includes 37% fewer esports tournaments in whole.
The best-ranked tournaments of Q2 have been the BLAST.television Austin Main, LCK rounds 1-2, and MPL Indonesia Season 15 – the Cellular Legends Bang Bang match. The tournaments drew 92m, 87m, and 75m hours watched, respectively.
MLBB’s high-viewership MSC on the Esports World Cup is at the moment being performed with Selangor Pink Giants OG amongst esports betting web site favourites. LoL Worlds and TI are additionally upcoming so there could also be extra excellent news on the horizon for esports streaming knowledge analysts.
Total, League of Legends was the most-watched esports title on all platforms with 447m hours watched, however that was a lower of seven% on quarter, with runner-up Counter-Strike 2 gaining 6% to 369m hours watched in Q2. Word, these figures embrace all streams of the video games, not solely esports broadcasts.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports author specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports Information UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.
