Ninja departure is "unlikely to diminish" Twitch
But it marks a "turning point" for Mixer, says analyst
Twitch has nothing to fear from the departure of Ninja, says streaming firm StreamElements.
Using data supplied by SullyGnome, the technology and marketing firm analyses the most popular streamers on each platform, and revealed that Ninja hasn't been the primary streamer on Twitch for some time.
The company revealed that in June Tfue was the No.1 streamer on Twitch by a large margin with more than nine million viewers, followed by xQcOW with six million and Shroud narrowly behind. Ninja was fourth in the rankings.
Meanwhile, in July Tfue fell to over 7.5 million, with Shroud closing the gap at over seven million, xQcOW on just under six million, Gaules narrowly behind that and Ninja down to four million.
StreamElements CEO Doron Nir says that Ninja will likely provide a 'turning point' for Microsoft's Mixer platform, but observes that Twitch's talent pool remains strong.
"Thanks to his personality, skills, and the support of numerous brands, Ninja has been highly instrumental in building awareness of the live streaming movement beyond just the games industry," he said.
"Now with his move to Mixer, it marks a turning point for one of Twitch's rival platforms. In the same way that Netflix and HBO drive viewership through original programming, live streaming platforms like Twitch, Mixer, Facebook Gaming, and YouTube Live depend on top talent to build their audiences with Ninja being the ultimate beacon for viewers.
While his arrival on Mixer has the potential to elevate their platform it is unlikely to diminish Twitch's. In Q1 and Q2 of this year there have been a number of streamers who surpassed Ninja based on hours watched each month showing that there is no shortage of talent at the top on Twitch."