New format helps WSOW 2024 Finals set Call of Duty: Warzone esports watch time record

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The final event of the 2024 competitive Call of Duty: Warzone season, also the World Championship, was organized by Activision from September 14 to 16 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. A change in the format and the addition of an extra day of action helped it end as the most-watched event in the game, although the average viewership was lower than the 2023 iteration.

This trios tournament saw the best 40 teams throughout the year invited to battle it out for a total prize money of $950,000. At the end of two days of action, Team Falcons — consisting of Biffle, Shifty, and Soka — emerged as the champion, pocketing $300,000.

There was also a singles event, called Solo Yolo, with $50,000 in the line that was won by Nickool, the 23-year-old content creator from Toronto Ultra. He outlasted 119 other participants to emerge as the last man standing and bag this mega prize.

  WSOW 2024 - Global Finals – basic viewership stats and most popular matches   

The World Series of Warzone 2024 - Global Finals reached 286.7K Peak Viewers during Round 3 of the Finals on Day 2. This made it the fifth most popular competition in the WSOW, as the teams gave it their all looking to win the highest-paying tournament in the game's history (outside of the Esports World Cup 2024).

The 2.7M Hours Watched registered at this Warzone tournament was a new overall record for the game, passing the 2023 iteration (when looking at events for professional players held by Activision). It also became the first event in the history of the WSOW to surpass the two million HW mark, although it was also the only one to pass the 10-hour airtime barrier.

  Most watched Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments of all time   

This high on-air time was a big reason for the new record, as the new format saw teams play six games on the first day, with the overall standings deciding the WSOW Point advantage each trio got on Day 2. With more matches being played, the event ran much longer, helping notch a loftier watch time in the end.

However, the extra number of games and more action did not mean that viewers were tuned in all the time. In fact, it was the opposite, as the 191.2K Average Viewers seen at this competition was 56.4% less than the 2023 edition, which created a series record for peak concurrent viewership.

This season-ending finale for Call of Duty: Warzone was broadcast on both YouTube and Twitch, with viewership rewards available for viewers on both platforms. The prizes included tokens, Stickers, emblems, calling cards, and weapon blueprints.

Streamers like swagg, aydan, zoomaa, and repullze ensured to cover the matches live, with many even participating and looking to claim the ultimate glory. After all, Warzone is the battle royale mode in Call of Duty, and though CDL pros do not compete, its competitions attract a mix of gamer and content creator teams.

This year, 150+ channels covered the tournament, with online personalities from Facebook and Kick also chipping in. Seven channels touched 100K HW, including two official channels, but a lot of smaller channels reached 10K HW, cumulatively helping make this the most-watched Warzone event of all time.

  Team Falcons emerged as the 2024 Warzone world champion (Image via Falcons Soka on X)   

Despite the accomplishments of the 2024 finale, when comparing the last two seasons, it is clear that 2023 was a much more successful one all around. One big reason was the compact and short tournament throughout, meaning audience attention was more concentrated, leading to a higher seasonal AV figure.

The cumulative watch time was also higher last year as there were 11 events conducted compared to eight in 2024. The only reason the total airtime is more this year is due to the record run time of the Global Finals, which is the second-longest event in the game when looking at just competitions involving professional players, behind the EWC 2024.

  Comparing the overall viewership stats of the last two Warzone seasons   

It has been another solid season for Warzone to follow up a record-setting World Series of Warzone 2023 Global Finals. What comes next is anyone's guess, but fans and Activision will be pleased with what they witnessed. The publisher will no doubt be working on making things bigger and better in 2025, and we will provide updates as and when any new information is released.