My 2025 Predictions: A Scorecard
As we look at the calendar, the next two Wednesdays fall on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I’m going to assume you’d rather be eating leftovers and spending time with family than reading about bitrates, so this will be the final Stream Report of 2025. We will return to your inbox on January 7th, 2026.
But before we sign off, we need to settle a score.
Back in January (Issue #161), I made 25 Predictions for the Streaming Industry in 2025. It’s easy to make predictions and forget them, but I believe in accountability. So, let’s look at the biggest hits and misses to see how well I read the room.
The Big Hits (What I Got Right)
✅ Prediction #1: “Dual-Format Streaming Becomes Industry Standard”
This was the technical theme of 2025. Between Twitch launching the Dual-Format Alpha (Issue #191) and YouTube announcing simultaneous vertical/horizontal streaming with unified chat (Issue #195), the industry has aggressively pivoted to capturing mobile viewers without alienating desktop fans.
✅ Prediction #2: “IRL Streams Will Reach Unprecedented Popularity”
IRL dominated the conversation this year. The proof? IShowSpeed just took home Streamer of the Year at The Streamer Awards, largely off the back of his chaotic IRL world tours.
✅ Prediction #5: “AI-Generated Content Will Face a Major Backlash”
The community spoke loudly this year. We saw this with the criticism of Twitch’s AI-looking category art (Issue #180) and, most notably, MrBeast having to remove his AI thumbnail tool immediately after launch due to community outrage (Issue #186). Viewers and creators are drawing a hard line in the sand.
✅ Prediction #6: “Content Will Shift Toward Longform”
In Issue #167, we covered “YouTube Turns 20,” and the data was undeniable: TV is now King. Television has surpassed mobile as the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S., with over 1 billion hours consumed daily on the big screen. This shift has forced platforms to enhance the “living room experience” and proves that audiences are craving deeper, long-form content they can settle into.
✅ Prediction #13: “YouTube Expands Livestreaming Features”
After a quiet 2024, YouTube woke up. In September, they dropped the largest upgrade to Live they’ve ever made (Issue #195), featuring over 30 new tools, including vertical integration, AI highlights, and seamless public-to-member stream transitions.
Half Right, Half Wrong
🤷♂️ Prediction #3: “Twitch Will Go All-In on Collaboration”
I thought Twitch would force Guest Star to be the center of the universe. While Guest Star didn’t take over, Twitch did go in on collaboration by finally launching official Co-Streaming features for major events (Issue #199). They recognized that combined viewership is the future of big events.
🤷♂️ Prediction #25: “Gaming Careers Will Return to Making Videos”
It took until November, but I finally returned to YouTube with a guide on creating vertical clips while live. It feels good to be back. Plenty more video content planned, some already in the editing stage!
The Big Misses (What I Got Wrong)
❌ Prediction #14: “Kick’s Growth Will Plateau”
I thought the hype would die down, but Kick has continued to grow and mature throughout 2025. They proved they were serious about product features by adding Live Rewind early in the year (Issue #164). More importantly, they showed maturity by tackling their biggest issue head-on: removing thousands of viewbot abusers from their creator program (Issue #204). They aren’t going anywhere.
❌ Prediction #21: “Twitch Will Double Down on AI Moderation”
I thought Twitch would be the center of the AI moderation debate. Instead, YouTube took that title. Just this month, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan defended the platform’s expanding use of AI in moderation, calling it essential for scale. This sparked immediate backlash from creators like MoistCr1TiKaL, who pointed out that AI systems were wrongfully banning original creators while leaving up stolen content.
❌ Prediction #12 & #19: “New Hardware (Streaming Laptop & Blue Yeti 2)”
I predicted a major manufacturer would release a streaming focused laptop and that Logitech would finally update the Yeti. Turns out, the original Yeti continues to sit on desks unchanged, and people are probably still speaking into the top of it.
Stream Report Wrapped 2025
It’s been a massive year for this newsletter. Here are the stats for Stream Report in 2025:
- 📧 Issues Sent: 46
- ✍️ Words Written: 45,000+
- 👀 Impressions: 1,000,000+
- 📨 Average Open Rate: 72% (very proud of this one!)
- 📈 Top Topic: Twitch Just Made Partnership Easier
- 🛠️ Tools Launched: 1 (Safe Zone Checker)
- ☕ Coffees Consumed: Too many to count.
I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read, shared, and replied to Stream Report this year. I hope you have a fantastic holiday season, get some well-deserved rest, and I’ll see you in 2026.
Pete ✌️
