StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 kicked off with a 12% boost in average viewership over the Austin edition

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StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 set multiple records almost out of the gate, and while its opening-day peak landed below Austin’s, the event still posted a strong boost in average viewership. Esports Charts has compiled and verified all Day 1 numbers, here are the key insights.

The Major’s opening day had a bit of everything: several records (1,2), strong showings from the American teams, delays and a shaky performance from FaZe Clan. The broadcasts ended up running for over 12 hours, and the chaos of the schedule partly shaped the event’s viewership trends.

The tournament’s key viewership metrics moved in different directions — each for its own reason. The rise in watch time, for instance, is mostly a byproduct of lengthy broadcast delays, whereas the increase in average viewership comes down largely to Brazil’s massive fan activity, which makes sense with four Brazilian teams competing in Stage 1.

The event’s overall peak did slip compared to the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, but a 3.2% drop is basically statistical noise rather than anything alarming.

Audience demographics showed a similar split. Two of the three major groups, English-speaking and Russian-speaking viewers, didn’t show much excitement on Day 1, but the tournament gained momentum in Brazil and saw higher engagement from smaller but passionate demographics like Mongolian and Polish audiences compared to Austin’s first-day numbers.

Two matches crossed the 300,000 concurrent-viewer mark on Day 1, with the standout being Fnatic’s tournament debut against Brazil’s Red Canids. Their matchup hit a peak of 378,000 concurrent viewers, putting it 13% ahead of the next most popular game.

Day two of the tournament is in full swing, and by the end of today we’ll know the first teams advancing to the next stage — and the first ones heading home. Keep up with the event on Esports Charts.