Streams Charts, together with German agency Audiencly, have published a report on viewbotting, the manipulation of viewers on streaming platforms. The authors record tens of millions of fake viewing hours per quarter and warn that distorted metrics directly hit advertising budgets.
Streams Charts, together with German agency Audiencly, have published a report on viewbotting, the manipulation of viewers on streaming platforms. The authors record tens of millions of fake viewing hours per quarter and warn that distorted metrics directly hit advertising budgets.
The full Whitepaper on Viewbotting is available at. The researchers explain that viewbotting is the systematic use of bots/fake accounts to artificially increase online audiences. In Q2 2025, over 41,000 Twitch channels with an average audience of 50+ had at least one «suspicious» stream, and over 4,400 (10.8%) had consistent signs of cheating. On Kick, almost every sixth streamer with an average audience of 50+ is under suspicion.
In one quarter, «suspicious» broadcasts on Twitch generated 30+ million hours of fake viewing; on Kick — about 20 million more. The most «botified» categories are: Virtual Casino (13%), Just Chatting (10%) and Counter-Strike (9%). Streams Charts notes that modern bots are better at hiding: they change IP addresses, simulate chat activity and even use AI for responses.
Brands that purchase integrations relying on automated purchasing platforms are the first to suffer. The report specifically mentions risks for energy companies working with a gaming audience and companies involved in niches such as CS2 case opening or GTA RP servers, where the market is heavily focused on live metrics.
Streams Charts backs up the numbers with industry insights. Streams Charts Product Manager Nazar Babenko sums up the impact of bots on campaign planning: «In just one quarter, we saw tens of millions of fake views on leading platforms… Bots don’t just inflate statistics—they distort marketing decisions and undermine trust.» In response, Audiencly Marketing Manager Sima Spielman outlines advertisers’ expectations: «Many brands are hesitant to invest in influencer marketing due to uncertainty or negative experiences with inflated metrics… We hope this report will help marketers make data-driven decisions and prove that influencer marketing still works—you just need to know what to look for.»
The authors advise to carefully look at the share of authorized viewers, real activity in the chat and behavioral patterns (online stability, «sawtooth» spikes, separation of viewers from unique chat participants). Separate emphasis should be placed on independent auditing and transparent calculation methods to reduce risks.
Previously, dev.ua also reported on how a 76-year-old man from New Jersey died while rushing to meet a woman he had been chatting with on Facebook Messenger. It later emerged that the woman was a generative AI chatbot created by Meta.
