The second major Valorant LAN event of 2024, VCT 2024: Masters Shanghai, is here, marking the culmination of Stage 1 of the Valorant Champions Tour 2024. This tournament invites the best teams from the first stage regional events. Although Masters Madrid was a record-setting success, Masters Shanghai is struggling to match its viewership.
On the first day, the viewership for Masters Shanghai was significantly lower than that of Masters Madrid. A key reason is the absence of popular teams like LOUD, Sentinels, and Karmine Corp, which is already affecting viewer numbers.
Day 1 Viewership Statistics
The first two matches of Masters Shanghai garnered 1.83 million hours watched and an average of 265.3K concurrent viewers. While nearly 2 million hours of watch time seems impressive, this is a noticeable downturn from previous events.
Interestingly, Portuguese, usually one of the top languages, is missing from the most popular languages on the first day. Fans of teams like LOUD, which typically draw a large Portuguese-speaking audience, are less engaged. With only Aspas of Leviatán representing Brazil, the absence of a Brazilian team is a significant concern, as Portuguese-language viewership has been crucial for past international LANs. This event is a test for Valorant to maintain its viewership without key regional audiences.
Surprisingly, Thai viewership has risen, despite no Thai players participating, reaching 28K peak viewers. The Chinese event seems to have attracted a broader Asian audience.
Top Matches of the First Day
T1’s match against G2 Esports was the most popular on the first day, peaking at 411.2K viewers, with G2 winning 2-1 in a close overtime game. FunPlus Phoenix versus FUT Esports also drew significant attention, peaking at 328.5K viewers, with FPX winning 13-10 on Map 3.
Despite close matches, overall viewership has been lower, possibly due to the event’s timing. The first match began at 10:10 am in central Europe and 4:10 am on the US east coast, which is inconvenient for many viewers. This timing also led to fewer community casters covering the event—144 channels compared to 200 for Masters Madrid.
Comparing Day 1: Masters Shanghai vs. Masters Madrid
Viewership for Masters Shanghai is considerably below that of Masters Madrid, with 37.6% fewer hours watched and a 45.9% drop in average viewership. The peak viewership for Masters Madrid was significantly boosted by LOUD’s match against Gen.G, with Portuguese-speaking fans contributing heavily—a factor missing in Shanghai.
The lower viewership for Masters Shanghai stems from several issues: the absence of key teams has led to decreased interest from certain demographics, inconvenient time zones, and possibly less engaging broadcast talent. With 12 days of action remaining, Masters Shanghai faces significant challenges to reach the high bar set by Masters Madrid. Check the tournament page’s schedule for upcoming matches and the Statistics tab for ongoing updates.
