Streaming service Twitch racked up a record-breaking 1.1 billion hours watched last month, the largest amount of views in the platform's 9-year history.

This 20 per cent spike in attention has been largely spurred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen a vast majority of people around the world forced to stay at home. As a result, more people are turning to livestreaming platforms both for entertainment and to try their hand at broadcasting.

"It has been a milestone month for streaming with Twitch growing from 982m hours watched in February to over 1.1 billion hours in March," said Doron Nir, CEO of livestreaming tools and services provider StreamElements.

"While this 20 per cent growth has gotten a huge boost by stay-at-home mandates, now that more viewers and creators are discovering the power and appeal of live social video, we expect the medium to maintain some of this new momentum beyond the current crisis."

Creative support

Just last week, Twitch hosted a huge fundraising initiative alongside a 12-hour event that saw popular musicians and celebrities come together. StreamAid 2020 raised over $2.7m for COVID-19 relief efforts last weekend.

Twitch's support for struggling musicians during this time also shines through its partnership with music and events platform Bandsintown. The partnership offers artists on the platform free and easy access to Twitch's monetisation tools, including community subscriptions and donation services.  

While this growth spurt has been largely encouraged by a global stay-at-home pandemic, the traction is expected to continue in the coming months, which could see Twitch enjoying its most fruitful Q2 yet.