The VALORANT First Strike Series: A Huge Success for Riot Games
The VALORANT First Strike series was a massive success for Riot Games and the competitive esports scene. With over 300,000 viewers for the North America portion alone, the event proved to be a major hit.
Impressive Viewership Numbers for First Strike: NA
First Strike: NA had approximately 21 hours of air time from the start on Dec. 3 to the grand finals. However, this doesn’t include the qualifiers and matches leading up to this point, which took over a month to play out.
Viewership Highlights
The event reached its peak viewership during the grand finals between TSM and 100 Thieves, with 300,112 viewers. 100 Thieves emerged victorious in a convincing 3-1 series, claiming the title of the best team in NA. Overall, the tournament garnered an average of 95,864 viewers, according to Esports Charts.
The viewership came from various sources, with secondary streams like Ninja and TSM’s Myth actually having higher numbers than the main broadcast throughout most of the event. Myth reached a peak of 119,303 viewers during the finals, making him the most-viewed channel during that period as he watched his team compete. Ninja, on the other hand, had a peak of 55,040 viewers. The main broadcast on the Valorant_Esports_NA channel reached its peak at 92,246 viewers. While the YouTube numbers for the stream have not been finalized by Riot, over 60,000 viewers watched the finals on the main broadcast, with an additional 20,000 watching on secondary streams.
A Promising Future for VALORANT Esports
The VALORANT First Strike series showcased the immense interest in the game at the highest level, especially when paired with popular streamers like Myth who co-streamed the event on his own account. Riot Games is already planning to invest in the competitive scene with the VALORANT Champions Tour in 2021, promising a season-long global competition. More details will be announced soon.
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