In this installment of our 2023 Esports Results series, we delve into the top-performing esports organizations of the year in terms of generating viewership. This differs from our previous piece on the most-watched esports teams, as that article broke down watch time by esports discipline for each organization. In contrast, this article aggregates the watch time of every team under a single organization.
Throughout our 2023 Esports Results series, we’ve explored the performance of entities across various subsections, such as the top esports teams by viewership and the most popular esports matches of the year. It’s important to note that viewership data from Chinese live streaming platforms is excluded from this analysis. Due to its unreliability and incompatibility for comparison with other platforms.
Battle Royale esports matches are also excluded from this ranking due to the complexity of calculating Hours Watched, given the constant elimination of teams and dynamic nature of the games. If you’re interested in the top-performing Battle Royale esports of the year, we have a dedicated article for that.
Some of the most-watched organizations in 2023 garnered their watch time primarily from one specific esports discipline, while others had a diverse presence across multiple titles. Without further delay, let’s dive into the first organization on our ranking.
#10 – GEN.G ESPORTS (77M HOURS WATCHED)
Gen.G Esports, a Korean organization established in 2017, is best known for its League of Legends team. Despite having teams across various esports disciplines, their League of Legends roster dominated their watch time in 2023, contributing significantly to their total of 77.02M Hours Watched.
In comparison to 2022, Gen.G experienced a substantial increase in viewership, propelled by the growing popularity of the League of Legends World Championship and increased participation in matches throughout the year.
#9 – FNATIC (77M HOURS WATCHED)
Fnatic, a UK-based esports organization with almost two decades of experience, secured the 9th spot with 77.28M Hours Watched in 2023. Despite their Valorant roster’s success in winning two major international tournaments, Fnatic dropped in rankings compared to 2022.
The decrease in position was attributed to the decline in viewership for their League of Legends team and the organization’s withdrawal from the Dota 2 scene. Fnatic’s departure from Dota 2, though described as temporary, resulted in a loss of approximately 15M Hours Watched. Reflecting the impact of their absence in this esports discipline.
#8 – EVIL GENIUSES (79M HOURS WATCHED)
Evil Geniuses, occupying the 8th position with 78.83M Hours Watched, witnessed significant changes in their esports endeavors in 2023. While their League of Legends team’s viewership dropped compared to 2022, the introduction of a new Valorant roster proved pivotal.
Despite initial international struggles, the Valorant team rebounded in the second half of the 2023 VCT season. Culminating in a world championship at the VALORANT Champions 2023 event. The Valorant team became Evil Geniuses’ most-watched roster, showcasing an impressive 1100%+ increase in watch time compared to 2022.
Evil Geniuses, however, chose to release their championship-winning Valorant roster at the end of 2023, creating a challenge for the upcoming 2024 VCT season. Additionally, Evil Geniuses expanded their Dota 2 operations to South America in 2023, maintaining regional success despite challenges in achieving global acclaim.
#7 – BLACKLIST INTERNATIONAL (83M HOURS WATCHED)
Blacklist International, a Philippines-based esports organization primarily focused on mobile gaming esports, secured the 7th position with 83.03M Hours Watched in 2023. Specializing in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (ML:BB) and Call of Duty: Mobile, Blacklist International expanded into Dota 2 during the year.
The organization’s ML:BB team, which achieved significant regional success in 2022, further boosted its viewership in 2023. Blacklist International’s ML:BB roster participated in various international tournaments, finishing 2nd at the M4 World Championship and 3rd at the M5 World Championship.
#6 – AURA ESPORTS (84M HOURS WATCHED)
AURA Esports, making its debut in the top 10 rankings, secured the 6th position with 83.62M Hours Watched. Notably, AURA Esports stands out as an organization whose name does not align with its most popular team, ECHO.
AURA Esports achieved its impressive watch time primarily through its five ML:BB teams: ECHO, AURA Fire, ECHO Proud, AURA Esports, and AURA Phoenix. ECHO, the Filipino ML:BB team, emerged as the most successful within this roster, winning the MPL Philippines Season 11 league and the M4 World Championship in 2023.
Despite the convention where esports organizations derive the majority of their watch time from one popular discipline, AURA Esports’ diversified approach, involving multiple teams within ML:BB, allowed them to draw viewership from various tournaments and matches.
#5 – G2 ESPORTS (101M HOURS WATCHED)
G2 Esports, based in Berlin and competing in a diverse range of esports disciplines, secured the 5th position with 100.99M Hours Watched. G2 Esports excelled in League of Legends and CS2, accumulating significant watch time in these two games.
In League of Legends, G2 Esports, with a history of international success, claimed their 12th LEC title at the LEC Season Finals 2023. In CS2, the team achieved victories at prestigious events such as IEM Cologne 2023 and IEM Katowice 2023, solidifying its standing as a prominent brand in the Counter-Strike esports scene.
While G2 Esports experienced only a slight decrease in Hours Watched compared to the previous year, they dropped two positions in the ranking amid the expanding esports landscape.
#4 – TEAM LIQUID (115M HOURS WATCHED)
Team Liquid, an esports organization based in the Netherlands, secured the 4th position with 115M Hours Watched. With a history spanning 14 years and teams in 20 different esports disciplines, Team Liquid maintained a diverse presence.
In 2023, Team Liquid’s Dota 2 roster emerged as one of its most successful, achieving regional success in the Dota Pro Circuit and notable performances at international events. Although they fell short of winning any major international tournaments, their 2nd-place finishes at events like the Riyadh Masters 2023 and The Bali Major 2023 contributed significantly to their watch time.
Team Liquid, previously ranked 2nd in 2022, experienced a relative drop in position due to the emergence of other growing esports organizations rather than a decline in watch time.
#3 – REX REGUM QEON (123M HOURS WATCHED)
Entering the top
3, Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ) secured the 3rd position with 122.96M Hours Watched. Primarily focused on mobile gaming esports, RRQ excelled in disciplines like ML:BB and Free Fire.
While the majority of RRQ’s watch time, around 95.7%, came from ML:BB, the organization also expanded into Valorant in 2022 and participated in the VCT Pacific league in 2023. The Valorant roster contributed to the remaining 4.3% of watch time.
RRQ’s success in ML:BB was highlighted by achievements such as finishing 3rd at the M4 World Championship. Their Upper Bracket Semi Final match against Blacklist International became the most popular match of the event, garnering 4.27M Peak Viewers.
#2 – ONIC ESPORTS (129M HOURS WATCHED)
ONIC Esports made a significant leap from 10th place in the 2022 rankings to secure the 2nd position in 2023 with 129.42M Hours Watched. The organization’s substantial growth in watch time, an increase of nearly 60M Hours Watched from the previous year, was attributed to its ML:BB teams.
ONIC Esports demonstrated a robust presence in ML:BB, particularly with their main roster accumulating 94% of the organization’s watch time in 2023. The success of the ONIC Esports ML:BB team, with numerous regional titles and victories at international events, played a pivotal role in securing the 2nd spot.
While ONIC Esports also competed in Free Fire, the vast majority of their viewership, around 99.9%, came from ML:BB.
#1 – T1 (144M HOURS WATCHED)
Claiming the top spot once again, T1 emerged as the most-watched esports organization of 2023 with a total of 143.6M Hours Watched. T1 competes in various esports disciplines, with its League of Legends team standing out as one of the most popular and successful in the world.
T1’s League of Legends roster, led by Faker, boasts a historic record, having won 10 total titles in the LCK. The team faced challenges in 2023, including missing out on an 11th LCK title and dealing with Faker’s temporary absence due to a wrist injury. Despite these setbacks, T1’s victory in the Worlds 2023 Finals against Weibo Gaming became the most popular esports match in history, reaching a peak of 6.4M Viewers, even without Chinese live streaming platforms.
T1’s enduring popularity and dominance in the esports scene, coupled with their victory in the Worlds 2023 Finals, contributed to their retention of the top spot in esports viewership.
THE MOST WATCHED ESPORTS ORGANIZATIONS OF 2023
With this, we conclude our ranking of the most-watched esports organizations of 2023. T1 continues to lead the industry, securing roughly 12.5M more Hours Watched compared to 2022. ONIC Esports made a remarkable climb from 10th place to the second-most watched organization, showcasing the growing influence of the ML:BB scene. If the trend in ML:BB’s growth persists, Indonesian and Filipino organizations may dominate the 2024 rankings.
Notably, several new teams, such as AURA Esports, Blacklist International, Evil Geniuses, and Gen.G, made their debut on the list, while some previously featured teams, including FaZe Clan and DRX, were absent. DRX, despite its Cinderella-story success in 2022, struggled to maintain regional and international success in 2023. FaZe Clan, a recognizable brand in esports, faced challenges in Counter-Strike, impacting its viewership.
NAVI, known for its strong Counter-Strike roster, also experienced a decline in watch time, attributed to difficulties in competing at top international events and the departure of s1mple from the active roster.
In summary, T1’s sustained dominance, ML:BB’s rising influence, and the evolving landscape of esports organizations contribute to the dynamic nature of esports viewership. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming esports trends from Esports Charts and our data-driven insights into the esports industry.