The Ukraine crisis forces video platforms to make tough decisions: Political content is thriving on Twitch and YouTube, but so is misinformation.

Amazon’s expanded agreements with Universal Music Group chip away at long-standing tensions: Creators on Twitch have grown increasingly frustrated with harsh music rebroadcasting rules.

Riot Games’ launch of its animated series “Arcane” shows the importance of meeting fans where they are: The developer’s Netflix-exclusive show will be promoted across all of its video games and will premiere live on Twitch.

Twitch credited the program for its ability to quickly take down the Buffalo video.

Meanwhile, TikTok is looking to other competitors, including Twitter with the introduction of a Repost function, Snapchat and Instagram with Stories, and Twitch with desktop livestreaming software. Looking ahead: While TikTok's time spent will be tip top this year, the app's US ad revenues won't surpass YouTube's just yet.

Notably, our social network video ad spending estimates exclude video ads that appear on YouTube or Twitch. Although both platforms have similar social network features, such as personal profiles, comments, or chat feeds, we classify YouTube and Twitch as digital video platforms.

In May, during its inaugural NewFronts presentation, Amazon boasted of an unduplicated audience reach of 120 million US viewers across its ad-supported inventory on Fire TV, IMDb TV, Prime Video, and Twitch. (It raised this estimate to 135 million in October.).

Our AVOD estimate excludes YouTube and other services that rely heavily on user-generated content such as Twitch. Our AVOD estimate includes paid subscription services like Hulu and Paramount+, which feature advertising. It also includes free ad-supported services like The Roku Channel, Tubi, IMDb TV, and Pluto TV.

Our AVOD and free premium video streaming estimates exclude YouTube and other services that rely heavily on user-generated content such as Twitch. Our AVOD estimate is broader than our free streaming forecast because AVOD includes paid subscription services like Hulu and Paramount+, which feature advertising.

Twitch was founded in 2011 as a spinoff of the Justin.tv livestreaming service. From its inception, Twitch focused on gaming streams and esports, which had been especially popular on Justin.tv. Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014 following a failed bid by YouTube to purchase the company. We estimate that Twitch will have 31.4 million US users in 2021, growing its base to 36.7 million by 2025.

While Amazon hasn’t shared official figures on IMDb TV’s active users, it has identified 120 million monthly active users across its ad-supported video content, which includes Twitch and other assets. Why it matters: Consumers are aware of many Amazon products and services, including Prime, Prime Video, retail locations, Kindle, and even Amazon Web Services.

Twitch and YouTube Gaming are also popular, each used by 35% of gamers, while Discord and Steam round out the top five. More like this:. Report: Insider Intelligence’s Digital Advertising Trends to Watch in 2022. Article: Overwhelmed network devices took down Amazon Web Services, affecting millions. Article: Mobile gaming growth attracts interest from nongaming media firms.

Further, Amazon’s livestreaming subsidiary Twitch has cut deals with the NBA’s G League, Major League Soccer’s eMLS esports unit, the NWHL women’s hockey league, and Formula 1’s Mexico Grand Prix. Amazon also simulcasts some of its Prime Video programs on Twitch, mostly to tap into the latter’s “younger and more international” audience, per Donoghue. Facebook.