The quarterfinals of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 concluded with intense matches that captivated the Counter-Strike esports community. G2 Esports delivered a dramatic elimination of Heroic with a nail-biting 16-13 overtime victory, while FaZe Clan secured a decisive win against Team Vitality.
The day’s matches generated an impressive 3.14M Hours Watched, with an consistent average of 410K viewers throughout the event. However, the Major continues to face challenges with global viewership, primarily due to unfavorable time zones for European and American audiences. The first match of the day began at 7 AM Central European Time, which translated to near-midnight for viewers in the United States.
Viewership dynamics
Viewership dynamics revealed interesting patterns across different language demographics. While English-language audiences remained the primary viewer group, they showed a notable decline compared to previous Majors. Portuguese-speaking viewers, including Brazilian fans, experienced similar downward trends. In contrast, Russian-speaking audiences maintained stronger engagement, likely due to more convenient viewing times.
The matches showcased some remarkable viewer interest. G2’s final moments of victory peaked at 641.3K viewers, with Polish fans showing particular enthusiasm. This heightened interest stems from the team’s historical connections, including coach TaZ and player Snax, who have long been beloved figures in the Polish Counter-Strike community. French-language viewership also saw a boost, driven by Team Vitality’s performance.
Interestingly, the day’s viewership was not evenly distributed between matches. FaZe Clan’s battle against Team Vitality captured more audience attention, accounting for 52% of the total daily viewership. While G2’s match generated significant excitement with its overtime climax, the Vitality-FaZe match maintained a higher average of concurrent viewers.
FaZe’s match peaked at 636K viewers, suggesting strong audience engagement for the tournament’s later stages. Despite not matching the viewership of previous Majors, the event has maintained a dedicated global audience.
Chinese livestreaming platforms remain excluded from official viewership statistics due to unreliable data reporting, which means the actual total viewership could potentially be higher.
Esports enthusiasts can look forward to preliminary statistics for the event’s final matches, which will be released after the tournament concludes on Sunday. The Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 continues to demonstrate the global appeal of competitive Counter-Strike, even with its current viewership challenges.
