A new trend from overseas is spreading in the German streamer scene: boxing. The mega event between streamers Trymacs and MckyTV attracted many hundreds of thousands of viewers, and it didn’t even take place on Twitch or YouTube. MeinMMO author Maik Schneider was also fascinated by the event and thinks that such events are exactly what viewers want.
My general interest in streams is rather low. Although I follow the German streamer and YouTuber scene a bit, I prefer watching highlights and reactions than actually being live on Twitch.
The boxing match at “The Great Fight Night” between Trymacs and MckyTV did intrigue me, though. I watched almost the entire event and found it very entertaining – there may have been a few “interviews” too many.
My personal interest in the event made it clear to me how simple the recipe for a successful stream can sometimes be: Make a crossover, show emotions, and let yourself be seen when you fail.
Celebrity boxing matches are a secret recipe known everywhere
It took a while for boxing matches to arrive among German streamers. Entertainer Stefan Raab already knew in 2001 during his match against professional boxer Regina Halmich that he was landing a hit.
7.74 million viewers watched the first match in 2001, including a broken nose for Raab. The “comeback of the killer belly” in 2007 attracted up to 10 million TV viewers. Raab drove into the hall with an 8-ton tank (via presseportal.de).
Back then, as today, the recipe remains: Let people see how you fail. The more emotions displayed, the better. MeinMMO author Schuhmann wrote a special on the topic and explains why the colorful title Fall Guys went through the roof in 2020:
When celebrities box, it attracts viewers for 20 years
Streamer boxing matches offer exactly what makes Twitch unique: Unrestrained emotions, protagonists on the edge of their sanity, and in the end, one of the two fighters “fails”.
There have already been several such streamer/influencer events that garnered unbelievable attention:
- Logan Paul in an exhibition match against Floyd Mayweather
- Over 1 million pay-per-views sold (via sportico.com)
- Ibai streamed an event on Twitch like “The Great Fight Night” (via dotesports.com)
- Reached more than 1.5 million simultaneous viewers on Twitch – to this day the second highest value (via twitchtracker.com)
- Leon Machère and StandartSkill boxed each other on YouTube in February 2022
- Reportedly, the YouTube stream reached over 770,000 simultaneous viewers (via esports.com).
In comparison: In 2020, the Twitch record from Horrorcamp by Knossi and associates with nearly 330,000 viewers was considered a significant milestone among German streamers.
Trymacs stated that “The Great Fight Night” brought around 500,000 viewers to the screen (via instagram.com). And the event didn’t even take place on the usual streaming platforms of the target audience, but on joyn, a project of German private television.
You can learn more about Twitch’s success story in our video on the topic:
3 things that make boxing matches successful on Twitch
- 1. Emotional connection
We watch or follow influencers because they allow us glimpses into parts of their lives. Some less so, some more – some completely and almost without compromise.
People like to learn things about other people. The person doesn’t even have to be particularly likeable. Often, it’s the emotions displayed and the reasons behind reactions that captivate us to a streamer or celebrity. Because the actions lead back to emotions in the viewer.
One wants to continue following the streamer’s life and over time, knows what emotions these people evoke in us. If we like the emotions, then we stick around.
Seeing 2 amateurs dedicate themselves to training for months and letting go of all inhibitions in a boxing match is appealing.
- 2. We like to watch failure
Especially failure is often well received. Because on the one hand, it is often entertaining, and on the other hand, it is exciting how people deal with it.
A streamer with weaknesses often comes across as very likable because it promises a lot of “humanity” and also stands for self-confidence when one copes with one’s failures.
Box amateur Trymacs is a good example – he is one of the biggest streamers in Germany. He is known for his “fails,” which people love to laugh at – unless triggered by some awkward action.
In a boxing match, there is at least one loser at the end. Just the prospect of seeing a streamer physically fail generates a lot of interest.
- 3. Crossover
Another, somewhat more tangible concept is crossovers. 2 well-known streamers do something together. When the participants know each other better, there are already significant overlaps in the target audiences.
This usually brings viewers an exciting added value and is also often worthwhile for the streamers if a few followers drop off from the crossover partner.
In a boxing match, the genre crossover is added. There are not only 2 streamers to be seen, but the protagonists are also in a completely unfamiliar role. One can’t exactly predict how they behave, how they react.
The uncertainty represents another factor why boxing among streamers or known celebrities is so appealing.
The boxing match between Trymacs and Micky wasn’t even the highlight of the evening for me. The whole event was a mega crossover of the German streamer scene and many big names were on site in Cologne.
Knossi is making mischief with Monte, UnsympathischTV is complaining about the prices at the bar, Tanzverbot conducted an embarrassing interview with Marc Gebauer, who wandered through the crowd in a white suit. Plus, the first hard fight between Rumathra and Vlesk, including the KO punch.
In my opinion, truly “failed” that evening were only the laid-off commentators and moderators from television – Rumathra wasn’t even pronounced correctly by the officials on site.
A brief summary of the event can be found here: 2 Twitch streamers box against each other – Looks like David vs Goliath and there is blood
What do you think about boxing matches between streamers and the reasons why it is so well received by people? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the topic.
The background of the title image comes from the Twitter account of @mcky_tv.
