Worlds 2024 has arrived, kicking off with the Play-In stage on September 25, drawing huge attention. The first day’s matches saw over 1.3 million concurrent esports viewers at peak, marking a notable increase in viewership from last year, and even surpassing Worlds 2022. Esports Charts data provides insights into the impressive start of the tournament.
The day featured two key matchups: MAD Lions KOI versus Vietnam’s Vikings Esports, and Pacific’s PSG Talon against Brazil’s paiN Gaming. These games captured a diverse regional audience, resulting in a significant rise in viewership for the tournament’s opening phase. Compared to 2023, the Play-In’s peak viewership rose by 300,000, highlighting the growing interest.
first day
The first day’s matches collectively amassed 5.33 million Hours Watched—an increase of 2.35 million from the previous year. This was the first time in a while that the opening day of Worlds surpassed 1 million concurrent average viewers. The increased audience came from various regions, including some of the fastest-growing circuits in League of Legends.
Brazil’s paiN Gaming represented the rapidly expanding CBLOL circuit, with their game attracting a peak of 330,000 Portuguese viewers. PSG Talon, on the other hand, brought in a significant Chinese-speaking audience outside mainland China, a demographic not commonly seen.
For the first time, Worlds was broadcast in multiple languages on TikTok, expanding from the Vietnamese-language streams to include English, Portuguese, and other European languages. Vietnamese broadcasts, already established on TikTok, remained the most popular, while newer broadcasts in other languages had modest viewership.
Chinese viewership data from mainland platforms remains unreliable, but a large audience outside of China, particularly in Taiwan, supported PSG Talon. Despite this, Vietnamese and English-speaking viewers dominated the opening day, with the Vietnamese audience proving particularly influential due to their support for Vikings Esports.
Korean viewership
Korean viewership was lower than usual, as no Korean teams played on the first day, and changes in the region’s streaming landscape have disrupted traditional viewing habits. With Twitch no longer available in South Korea, most of the region’s audience watched on YouTube or Korean platforms like CHZZK and AfreecaTV.
The majority of viewership came from Twitch, where co-casters and community members streamed the event, cheering for their regional favorites. The most-watched channel on the opening day was the Vietnam Championship Series YouTube channel, which reached a peak of 169,000 viewers. It outperformed popular Western co-casters ibai and Caedrel, who reached 137,800 and 127,000 peak viewers, respectively, while covering the event.
Ibai, a Spanish celebrity and former League of Legends caster, attracted a significant Spanish audience to support MAD Lions KOI. Meanwhile, Caedrel saw a spike in viewership during the tense PSG Talon vs. paiN Gaming match, which ended with PSG Talon securing a 2-1 victory, sending paiN Gaming and Vikings Esports to the elimination bracket.
The opening day of Worlds 2024 was one of the most thrilling starts in recent years, drawing a global audience with diverse regional representation. If viewership remains strong, this could become one of the most-watched Play-In stages in the history of Worlds.
