PUBG Global Series breaks series record thanks to viewership rewards
The PUBG Global Series 7 2025 concluded on May 4 with record-breaking livestreaming numbers, getting the season off to a strong start. Led by an incredible performance by the eventual winner, it ended as the series' most popular event.
The first major championship of PUBG's 2025 competitive season witnessed 24 of the best teams from across the globe battle it out for a prize pool of $300,000. This included ten Global Partner Teams and 14 top qualifiers from the various regional Phase 1 leagues.
After around a week of action, 17 Gaming emerged as the champion, reclaiming a title it had won at the first edition. The Chinese side was exceptionally consistent in the Grand Finals, with a second Winner Winner Chicken Dinner in the 18th and final round confirming its win and ensuring it took home $100,000.
Round 18 of the Grand Finals on Day 3 was also the most popular match of the PUBG Global Series 7 2025, attracting 343,843 Peak Viewers (PV). This put it atop the list of tournaments held in the PUBG Global Series, as it became just the second edition to cross 300,000 peak concurrent viewers after the PUBG Global Series 6.
Interestingly, many top Global Partners, including Natus Vincere, Gen.G, and Four Angry Men, did not make it past the Group Stage. NAVI, the PUBG Global Championship 2022 champion, has endured a rough few years, and 2025 has not seen many improvements, which will remain a cause for worry as the calendar moves toward the Esports World Cup 2025.
A combination of factors helped the PUBG Global Series 7 2025 reach a series high. One crucial factor was the availability of drops to audiences for watching a certain number of minutes, with the rewards including sprays and a logo emblem.
While Vietnamese audiences continued to be the leaders when it came to the language with the deepest audience reach, it was the performances of several other minor languages that made this competition a milestone one. The likes of Chinese, Portuguese, Thai, Russian, and Turkish saw series records for peak concurrent viewership in Shanghai, with representatives of a few of these languages finishing in the top ten on the final table.
Although YouTube retained its position as the leading choice for viewers to catch the action live, Twitch made some inroads compared to the PGS 6. The purple platform saw its cumulative watch time shoot up by over 7%, with the likes of SOOP Korea and CHZZK also seeing healthy gains (thanks to the specific availability of drops on these three platforms).
After enjoying a pretty solid 2024, PUBG has continued that momentum in the new season, with its first global event now atop the list of most popular tournaments in the game in 2025. With the calendar packed more than ever with top-tier events, there's a good chance we will see new milestones in the game.
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