What is the longest ever live stream on YouTube?

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When YouTube lifted the time limit on video uploads last December, allowing users to upload videos of any length, I’m sure they never expected a user to upload a video that would take 23 days and 19 hours to watch, but that’s exactly what Jonathan Harchick of Moldy Toaster Media has done. 

What is the longest ever live stream on YouTube?

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  ❘   Published: 2022-10-10T09:45:00

  ❘   Updated: 2022-10-10T09:46:27

The world record for the most viewed Twitch stream is a coveted achievement, and has been held by the biggest names on the platform over the years. Here’s the highest peak viewership on a livestream ever, both on Twitch and YouTube.

January 11, 2021 was a historic day for Twitch, as Spanish streaming sensation David ‘TheGrefg’ Cánovas Martínez shattered the record for most concurrent viewers, as he revealed his very own Fortnite skin.

However, on June 25, 2022, another Spanish streamer Ibai shattered that record, drawing in over 3 million viewers to watch his second boxing event. Meanwhile, over on YouTube, Sidemen set a new record there.

North American streamers still make up the bulk of this list, but non-English speaking streams are growing rapidly on Twitch. Expect to see more streamers from other regions fight for a place among the most-viewed streams ever.


Contents

  • Most viewed Twitch streams ever
  • YouTube peak viewers record

Ibai

Ibai drew in over to 3 million viewers during his La Velada Del Año II event.

Most viewed Twitch streams ever

  1. Ibai: 3,356,464
  2. TheGrefg: 2,470,347
  3. Ibai: 1,502,295
  4. ELXOKAS: 1,208,144
  5. ELEAGUETV: 1,088,063
  6. PlayStation: 1,014,646
  7. Squeezie: 1,018,187
  8. Riot Games: 854,781
  9. DOTA2TI_RU: 845,224
  10. Gaules: 707,648
  11. Zerator: 707,071
  12. Fortnite: 700,529
  13. Tommyinnit: 650,237
  14. PGL: 649,414
  15. LCK_KOREA: 623,617
  16. Ninja: 616,693
  17. Auronplay: 602,308
  18. ESL_CSGO: 562,080
  19. Axozer: 557,151
  20. WEPLAYCSGO_RU: 550,725

As you can see, Spanish streamer Ibai comfortably holds the record for peak viewers on a livestream, with 3.3 million viewers. This was achieved during his ‘La Velada Del Año II event.’

In second place is fellow Spaniar, TheGrefg. He was revealing his new Fortnite skin at the time, attracting viewers around the world. As the stream starting hitting record numbers, more people joined just to be part of the frenzy.

This list, via Twitch Tracker, includes streams from companies, rather than just individual creators.

See below for the list for solo streamers only.

YouTube: Ninja / Epic Games

Ninja was the previous record holder, thanks to his popularity at the peak of Fortnite.

Most viewed streams for a solo Twitch streamer (companies excluded):

  1. Ibai: 3,356,464
  2. TheGrefg: 2,470,347
  3. Ibai: 1,502,295
  4. ELXOKAS: 1,208,144
  5. Squeezie: 1,018,187
  6. Gaules: 707,648
  7. Zerator: 707,071
  8. Tommyinnit: 650,237
  9. Ninja: 616,693
  10. Auronplay: 602,308
  11. Axozer: 557,151
  12. N3KOGLAI: 543,743
  13. Casimito: 534,644
  14. Shroud: 516,289
  15. XTEARS88: 512,246
  16. BAKZERA: 506,797
  17. OLLIEGAMERZ: 459,316
  18. Asmongold: 448,161
  19. INOXTAG: 436,418
  20. Asmongold: 427,880

Twitch might still be considered the home of video game livestreaming for now, but YouTube has been making up major ground in this area.

YouTube

YouTube Gaming is the home of livestreams on the platform, and directly competes with Twitch

YouTube peak viewers record

Here are the highest viewership peaks on YouTube livestreams, via PlayBoard:

  1. SpaceX: 4 million
  2. Apple: 3.6 million
  3. Law & Crime Network: 3.5 million
  4. Fluminese Football Club: 3.5 million
  5. NEXT Sports: 2.7 million
  6. BTS: 2.6 million
  7. Sidemen: 2.5 million
  8. VTV Thể Thao: 2.5 million
  9. Dynamo Gaming: 2.4 million
  10. Deddy Corbuzier: 2.4 million
  11. Bein Sports: 2.3 million
  12. Sandy & Junior: 2.3 million
  13. Jorge & Mateus: 2.2 million
  14. NASA: 2.2 million
  15. FLA TV: 2 million
  16. Gusttavo Lima: 2 million
  17. Bruno E Marron: 1.9 million
  18. Free Fire Esports India: 1.8 million
  19. ABC News: 1.8 million
  20. Villa Mix: 1.6 million

Note: Deleted livestreams and video previews are not counted in this list.

SpaceX currently holds the record for the most viewed livestream on either YouTube or Twitch, with a launch of a test flight into space, showing the view inside the cockpit, on May 27, 2020.

  • Read More: Top 20 most followed Twitch streamers

When Ninja set the Twitch record by playing Fortnite with Drake and Travis Scott, it immediately elevated the streaming space more widely, paving the way for more records to be set. As livestreaming in general grows in popularity, we could see more streamers crack the 1 million viewers mark.

We’ll keep you updated when new records are set and these rankings change, but Ibai has secured his spot at number one on Twitch for a long time to come.