BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 kicked off with a 25% boost in viewership over the Shanghai Major

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On June 3, the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 kicked off in Texas, bringing together the world’s top Counter-Strike teams for one of the year’s biggest tournaments. Day 1 saw every Stage 1 team play two rounds, offering an early glimpse at potential frontrunners, and those already on the brink of elimination. Esports Charts breaks down the key storylines from the opening day and takes a closer look at the tournament’s early viewership trends.

The opening day of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 was a standout moment for Ukrainian Counter-Strike fans, as B8 Esports made an impressive debut on the big stage. Competing in their first top-tier tournament, B8 started strong with back-to-back victories over Imperial Esports and OG, both played on Inferno. Now, the team is just one win away from advancing to Stage 2. Their next challenge? A best-of-three series against Wildcard Gaming later today, marking the first official meeting between the two squads.

B8 Esports team at Austin Major / Photo: B8

Wildcard Gaming delivered two of the most memorable moments on Day 1. Led by veteran IGL Peter ‘’Stanislaw’’ Jarguz, the team recorded the most dominant win of Stage 1 with a commanding 13:1 victory over Metizport. In a sharp contrast, they also played the day’s closest match, a tense 19:17 overtime win against China’s Lynn Vision Gaming. So far, it remains the only match of the tournament to go overtime.

BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 grows in viewership compared to Shanghai edition

Day 1 of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 drew strong numbers, with almost 3.1 million Hours Watched, a total that may rise slightly after final adjustments from our content team. Peak concurrent viewership reached 475,544 during the opening round of Stage 1, when several matches were live, including B8 Esports vs. Imperial Esports and BetBoom Team vs. Nemiga Gaming.

BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 - Day 1 viewership statistics

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 is already outperforming its predecessor, the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, in opening day viewership. Total watch hours and peak concurrent viewers jumped by 23-25%, a strong early indicator of the event’s momentum.

Part of that success can be attributed to robust community support. Even with the biggest teams set to compete in Stages 2 and 3, many popular streamers began covering the action from Day 1. Well-known creators like Alexandre ‘’Gaules’’ Chiqueta , Max ‘’shadowkekw’’ Pavlov, and Piotr ‘’izakooo’’ Skowyrski were among the first to go live. One highlight came from the official blastpremier channel on Kick, which hit a new all-time high with 19,012 Peak Viewers.

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 is running from June 3 to June 22 in Austin, Texas. You can keep up with the tournament results and viewership stats on the Esports Charts report page.