Microsoft Lured Ninja to Mixer, But Audience Is Barely Growing

  • Service’s viewership hasn’t increased much in the past year
  • Competing platforms are growing, with Facebook quadrupling
Ninja takes a selfie with attendees at an event in Los Angeles.Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
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Despite enlisting stars such as Ninja, Shroud and KingGothalion over the past year, Microsoft Corp.’s Mixer video-game streaming service is having trouble increasing its audience.

The number of hours watched -- a key benchmark for streaming platforms -- was up less than 2% in January from a year earlier, according to a report Wednesday from StreamElements and Arsenal.gg. That compares with substantial gains on competing services.