The name hololive was initially used for COVER's 3D stream distribution app, launched in December 2017, and later its female VTuber agency, whose first generation debuted from May to June 2018. In December 2019, this hololive branch was merged with COVER's male HOLOSTARS agency and INoNaKa (INNK) Music label to form a unified "hololive production" brand. In 2019 and 2020, the agency debuted three overseas branches: hololive China (since disbanded), hololive Indonesia, and hololive English. In 2023, hololive debuted a new branch, hololive DEV_IS.
As of July 2026, there are 87 hololive-affiliated talents with over 93 million subscribers on YouTube, of which 45 active members have over 1 million subscribers each. Gawr Gura, a former talent from its English branch, was the most subscribed VTuber worldwide with over 4 million subscribers before her retirement. Houshou Marine, a talent from its third generation, is the current most subscribed active VTuber worldwide, with 4 million subscribers.