Halfway through 2026, the state of streaming underlines just how dependent the category has become on big, personality-driven creators. Streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming were designed to showcase video games, but they’ve become a major spoke in the broader creator economy wheel.
According to a Q1 2026 study from streaming software company Streamlabs and data analytics company Stream Hatchet, “Just Chatting” is now the most-watched category across the major streaming platforms. The non-gaming category, where streamers talk directly to viewers, has been boosted by creators who bring their audience with them for IRL streams, chat about their lives from home, or recap breaking news from behind a desks.
Newer clip-friendly platforms like Kick, have only increased demand for creators who can build their own brands and communities — streamers like Braden “Clavicular” Peters — and, in turn, viewership.
“Twitch used to be entertaining gamers, now Twitch is entertainers that game sometimes, and even when they’re gaming, they’re entertainers,” Twitch CEO Dan Clancy told Digiday. “You have a whole new class of Twitch streamers that are not ‘gamer first’ streamers, they are entertainers, who maybe don’t game at all.”
