Livestreamed video on YouTube has seen an 80 per cent increase in views over the past year.

The increase in viewership isnt quite keeping pace with the amount of content, however – the number of livestreams posted on its service increased 130 per cent over the same period.

These figures were shared with the Financial Times as part of an interview with YouTube head of product Neal Mohan, who told the FT: “When consumers think about video, whether that’s on-demand or live, they think of YouTube. Live is one part of the picture.”

The idea that YouTube is peoples first stop when it comes to online video may be starting to change, however, especially when it comes to livestreaming. YouTube might have beat its competitors to the punch, introducing live video in 2011 with the British Royal Wedding, but the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat have grabbed more attention with the launch of their own live offerings. When News UK announced its plans for investing in video content back in June, Facebook Live was the platform it jumped to for livestreamed content. During this years Olympics, 50m people watched live video of the Games through Snapchat, thanks to partnerships with the BBC and NBC.

According to Mohan, YouTube still has the edge for content creators, because it allows them to monetise their content through ads after the initial live showing.

The video platform is certainly well established with advertisers, and its hardly short of its own headline content. In May, the UEFA Champions League Final was streamed live on YouTube and attracted 2.2m viewers, making it the single largest event YouTube has covered in the UK.