The group stage of the 2023 Valorant Champions pales in comparison to its 2022 counterpart in terms of viewership.
According to Esports Charts, throughout the group stage, broadcasts garnered approximately 24 million Hours Watched, marking a significant 24% decline from the figures seen in 2022.
This dip can be attributed partially to a minor reduction in airtime by 5.5 hours, but the drop in the viewer count also played a substantial role, with both Average and Peak Viewers for the tournament broadcasts experiencing a 17% decrease.
The standout match during the group stage featured LOUD and Natus Vincere facing off – a crucial clash in Group D that determined the final entry for the playoffs bracket team quota. LOUD, hailing from Brazil, emerged victorious with a score of 2:1, drawing an intense audience of 713.9K Peak Viewers.
Among the top-performing teams in the group stage, those with the highest Total Hours Watched included LOUD, Natus Vincere, and DRX. Interestingly, these three teams all competed in Group D.
A noteworthy highlight was Tarik, who claimed the title of the most popular streamer during this stage, amassing an impressive 4.6 million Hours Watched. The American community caster even outshone the official English-language Valorant channel in this metric.
The potential viewership for the playoffs has also taken a hit due to the seeding and bracket arrangement. Right from the outset, the first round will witness a clash between the two frontrunners, namely Fnatic and LOUD. This matchup guarantees that one of these teams will inevitably end up in the lower bracket of the playoffs, raising concerns about their swift exit from the tournament.