VCT 2025 Kickoff Tournaments: Shifting Viewership Patterns Across Regions
The Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2025 season has kicked off with its regional International League (IL) tournaments, revealing intriguing shifts in global viewership patterns. While the Americas continue to lead in watch time, followed by Pacific, EMEA, and China, the gap between regions has notably narrowed compared to previous years.
Americas: Maintaining Lead Despite Viewership Decline
The Americas Kickoff tournament remains the most-watched VCT event, generating 17.19M Hours Watched and reaching peak concurrent viewership of over 550,000 viewers. However, this represents a significant decrease from 2024’s record-breaking 820,000 peak viewers. Notably, the region has experienced a demographic shift, with Latin American viewers now comprising the majority of the audience. Combined Spanish and Portuguese-speaking viewership has surpassed English-speaking audiences for the first time.
EMEA’s Rising Influence
EMEA has emerged as the fastest-growing region, narrowing the gap with the Pacific league significantly. The region’s success can be attributed to its diverse viewer base, drawing substantial audiences from English, Spanish, and French-speaking communities, while also engaging Turkish and Portuguese-speaking fans. A highlight of the tournament was the historic debut of Ava “florescent” Eugene, the first Game Changers graduate to compete in VCT, which contributed to peak viewership numbers.
Pacific: Evolving Viewer Demographics
While the Pacific region maintained its second-place position, its lead over EMEA has diminished considerably. The region’s peak viewership was driven by strong Japanese support for DetonatioN FocusMe. However, the viewing landscape is diversifying, with Korean viewership doubling since 2024, likely influenced by the dominance of teams like T1, Gen.G, and DRX. Thai and Indonesian audiences have maintained steady viewership, creating a more balanced regional distribution similar to EMEA’s model.
China’s Growing Presence
The newest International League, VCT China, is steadily building its international audience following EDward Gaming’s Champions title victory last year. The league has shown promising viewership numbers across both Chinese and English-language broadcasts, though exact figures from Chinese streaming platforms remain unavailable for accurate measurement.
Looking Ahead: Masters Bangkok
The upcoming VCT 2025: Masters Bangkok, scheduled for February 20, presents an interesting viewership challenge. While the qualification of fan-favorite Sentinels bodes well for numbers, the absence of LATAM teams may impact Spanish and Portuguese-language viewership. Similarly, the non-qualification of popular teams like DetonatioN FocusMe, Paper Rex, Gentle Mates, and Apeks could affect regional viewing figures.
Qualified Teams for Masters Bangkok
- Americas: G2 Esports, Sentinels
- Pacific: DRX, T1
- EMEA: Team Vitality, Team Liquid
- China: EDward Gaming, Trace Esports
Future Outlook
As Valorant continues to establish itself among top-tier esports titles, its viewing patterns remain dynamic. The 2025 season appears poised to stabilize viewership trends while expanding into previously untapped audience segments. The narrowing regional gaps and evolving demographic patterns suggest a maturing esports ecosystem that’s becoming increasingly global in its appeal.
