VCT 2024: Masters Shanghai playoffs see only half the viewers compared to Madrid so far
The first few matches of the Playoffs in the ongoing Valorant Masters Shanghai have concluded, with fans aware of which teams are through to the Upper Bracket Semifinals and which sides have fallen to the Lower Bracket. Along the way, we witnessed the tournament hit a new peak viewership mark, raising hopes of a solid finish to the second Masters event of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2024.
The VCT 2024: Masters Shanghai hit a new high of 556.1K Peak Viewers during the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals on Day 1 between Fnatic and Gen.G Esports. The Canadian side edged this hard-fought encounter — where both teams hit double-digit map wins in every round — 2:1 to enter the Semifinals and send its English opponent to the Lower Bracket.
This PV figure is a 91.5% fall from the first two days of knockout action at the VCT 2024: Masters Madrid. The watch time saw a larger decline of almost 109% although the airtime was more or less the same.
This is in keeping with our Group Stage analysis, where Shanghai drew only half the number of Peak Viewers as Madrid. It has to be noted that the sides participating in China are less popular among fans than those who appeared in Spain. After all, Karmine Corp, alongside the two names mentioned above, was seen in action in March but not presently, with each having legitimate claims to being the discipline's most followed side.
This also means that the likes of kamet0 and kyedae, known to attract their fans to any event they live broadcast, are not covering the VCT 2024: Masters Shanghai. Meanwhile, prominent names like tarik, mixwell, and im_mittiii have streamed a lot fewer matches, with the knock-on effect seen in the number of channels that covered both events, with Madrid seeing over a hundred extra channels so far.
Moreover, the Playoffs format in Madrid was much shorter, as it consisted of four teams and a double-elimination bracket. The ongoing Masters event, however, has eight sides battling it out in a double-elimination bracket, which will undoubtedly affect the viewership dynamics come the end of this global Valorant event.
Readers must remember that the Spain event went on to become the most popular competition of all time in this popular FPS hero-shooter. It hit a million concurrent spectators on Day 1 of the Playoffs thanks to the series between regional rivals Sentinels and LOUD.
Upcoming Playoffs matches
Upper Bracket Semifinals: G2 Esports versus Team Heretics; 100 Thieves versus Gen.G Esports
Lower Bracket Round 1: Paper Rex versus EDward Gaming; FUT Esports versus Fnatic
Coming back to Shanghai, the good news is that among the remaining teams, most of the prominent names have entered the Upper Bracket Semifinals. However, Fnatic and EDward Gaming will have to work their way up from the Lower Bracket, and if they do manage to pull off miracles, it can only help pull in more viewers to this tournament.
The VCT 2024: Masters Shanghai will resume tomorrow with the Lower Bracket Round 1 matches followed by the Upper Bracket Semifinals on June 2. Fans can catch all the updates from our news section, and those interested in detailed analysis can check out the benefits they will get from the Events Dashboard.
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