The BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024 kicked off BLAST’s second major series of the year. Following the Spring series, the Fall Groups lead into the Fall Showdown, and ultimately the Fall Final. So far, 2024 has been a successful year for BLAST, with viewership remaining strong and consistent as they transition into the Fall series.
Earlier this year, the BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024 attracted over 640,000 concurrent viewers, ranking as the fifth-most popular BLAST Premier event ever. This peak was driven by a highly anticipated grand final between Team Spirit and NAVI. Team Spirit had gained recognition earlier in the year with impressive performances and several tournament victories. While NAVI’s storied legacy in Counter-Strike continues to draw a large fanbase.
Fall Groups 2024
In the recent BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024, NAVI once again reached the grand final, this time facing North American team Team Liquid. Team Liquid, featuring popular players like Twistzz and Jks, attracted significant viewership, with their matches against NAVI peaking at over 315.4K viewers. These encounters, particularly the Upper Bracket Final and Grand Final, were the tournament’s most watched games.
Though termed a grand final, the NAVI vs. Liquid match wasn’t the event’s concluding match. The Fall Groups format divided teams into four groups, each with its own grand final. Matches like G2 Esports vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas and Complexity Gaming vs. Team Spirit also served as group grand finals.
The losers of these grand finals—NAVI, NiP, and Complexity—progressed to the Play-In Stage, where they joined Astralis to compete for the last two spots in the upcoming Fall Final. Ultimately, Astralis and NAVI qualified through the Play-In Stage, joining group winners Team Spirit, Team Vitality, G2 Esports, and Team Liquid.
Teams that didn’t qualify directly will move to the Fall Showdown event. This means that the teams responsible for the most popular matches of the Fall Groups won’t boost the Fall Showdown’s viewership, as they’ve already secured spots in the Fall Finals.
Russian and Ukrainian broadcasts were crucial to the overall viewership.
Without NAVI or Team Spirit at the Fall Showdown, the engagement from these demographics might not be as strong as it was during the Fall Groups.
Examining the peak viewership of the last four BLAST Premier Groups events, NAVI’s popularity is evident. They’ve consistently been the most watched team, even without winning the trophy. G2 Esports also remains popular, boasting notable players like NiKo and m0NESY. The addition of Counter-Strike legend Snax to G2’s roster is expected to draw in Polish fans and rekindle interest from those who remember Snax’s earlier achievements.
While there appears to be a downward trend in peak viewership for recent BLAST Premier events compared to 2023, average concurrent viewers indicate a more stable audience. Despite not matching the peak numbers of 2023, BLAST events in 2024 have reached impressive viewership levels similar to those seen during the pandemic boom. If the right teams make it to the grand finals, the Fall Finals and World Final could become some of the most popular BLAST events in recent years.
