VCT Masters Bangkok 2025: A Global Viewership Success Story
The recently concluded VCT 2025 Masters Bangkok has solidified its place in Valorant esports history, achieving over 1.3 million peak viewers during its grand final. This impressive figure positions it as the second most-watched Masters event ever, surpassed only by VCT 2024 Masters Madrid, which benefited significantly from Sentinels’ triumphant return to international glory.
Unlike Madrid’s English-language dominated viewership, Bangkok’s success came from a more diverse international audience. This shift highlights Valorant’s expanding global influence and changing viewership patterns across regions.
Korean Audience Leads the Charge
South Korean viewers made history during T1’s championship run, setting new viewership records for Valorant esports in the Korean-language broadcast. This surge reflects the growing competitiveness of Korea’s Valorant scene and the participation of the country’s premier esports organizations.
Riot Games, familiar with the power of Korean esports audiences through League of Legends, appears to be successfully activating this demographic for Valorant as well. The strategic entry of organizations like T1 and Gen.G into VCT Pacific in 2023 has dramatically increased Korean interest in the game.
Platform Dynamics: YouTube Outshines Twitch
A notable shift occurred in platform preferences during the Bangkok event. While previous Valorant tournaments saw Twitch dominating viewership numbers with English-speaking audiences, YouTube emerged as the preferred platform this time. The video platform hosted top broadcasts for Asian, European, and American viewers, collectively reaching over 600,000 concurrent viewers—setting a new record for Valorant on YouTube.
In South Korea, the competition between livestreaming platforms intensified. CHZZK, a relatively new platform, narrowly outperformed SOOP Korea (formerly AfreecaTV) in both average and peak viewers, though the battle for Korean streaming supremacy remains ongoing.
Emerging Asian Powerhouses
Vietnamese viewership reached unprecedented heights during the Bangkok event, signaling growing interest in Valorant across Asia. This upward trend is particularly promising given that Vietnamese fans have no dedicated national team to support in VCT Pacific.
Thai audiences similarly showed strong engagement despite local favorite TALON failing to qualify. Japan, one of Valorant’s initial Asian strongholds, contributed significantly to total viewership but fell short of previous peaks achieved when Japanese teams were competing.
Collectively, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai viewers accounted for over 20% of the average viewership throughout Masters Bangkok, demonstrating the growing importance of Asian audiences to Valorant esports.
The Co-Streaming Landscape
Co-streamers played a vital role in viewership distribution, particularly in Asian markets. In Korea, prominent streamers like Kim “도현ツ” Dohyeon and Kim “김된모!” Doenmo have migrated from CHZZK to AfreecaTV, bringing their audiences with them. Many top Korean co-streamers have backgrounds as former esports professionals, though casual Valorant streamers like 마뫄 (ma_mwa) and 행돌 (hangdol) also drove significant viewership.
In Thailand, Patiphan “CigaretteS TV” Posri emerged as the standout co-streamer. As a former competitor in multiple esports titles and current content creator for Paper Rex, his influence represents a significant driver for Valorant’s growth in Thailand.
Regional Viewership Challenges
Despite the overall success, certain regions showed diminished engagement. English-language viewership noticeably declined after Sentinels’ elimination, while Portuguese-language numbers remained low throughout due to the absence of Brazilian teams. The Americas region as a whole struggled with viewership, largely due to unfavorable match scheduling across time zones.
Looking Ahead
Masters Bangkok demonstrates Valorant’s evolving global appeal and its potential for continued growth, particularly in Asian markets. Even with reduced viewership from the Americas, the tournament achieved remarkable numbers through strong Asian audience participation and diverse international engagement. As 2025 progresses, Valorant esports appears well-positioned to break new viewership records across its passionate regional fan bases.
