Valorant First Strike NA peaks at more than 300,000 viewers

Olivia Richman Published 08/12/2020

Valorant fans couldn’t get enough of Riot Games’ First Strike action this past weekend.

While First Strike featured action from multiple competitive regions, North America was by and far the most popular competition. The region boasted over 300,000 viewers during the main event’s 21 hours of air time.

Europe’s competition was the second most viewed region. But that event only had 106,000 viewers at its peak, which is almost 200,000 less than North America during its top moment.

TOP #FirstStrike events:

#1 – North America – 300k
#2 – Europe – 106k
#3 – Turkey – 72k@ValorantEsports

More First Strike statshttps://t.co/WyBcyHxgyi
— Esports Charts (@EsportsCharts) December 7, 2020

North America saw 300,112 viewers during the grand finals between TSM and 100 Thieves, watching 100T take the title after a 3-1 series. North America sported an average of 95,864 viewers throughout the main event, spread across Valorant’s official channel as well as their two co-streamers, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Ali “Myth” Kabbani. Ninja hit a peak of over 55,000 compared to Valorant’s 92,246.

It’s not yet clear how many Valorant fans watched on YouTube instead of Twitch.

TSM, 100 Theives among top NA Valorant teams

North America most likely pulled ahead so far compared to other regions because of the well-known organizations and players taking part in the main event. TSM, 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, and T1 were some of the more popular organizations to form Valorant squads and compete in the tournament. Sentinels’ Jay “sinatraa” Won and TSM’s Matthew “Wardell” Yu are just some of the popular pros who have already made a name for themselves as top Valorant players in NA.

Is @sinatraa the NA MVP? Find out this week during First Strike: NA. pic.twitter.com/bS9ZOcVnvs
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) December 4, 2020

During the EU broadcast, viewers spammed the Twitch chat with complaints about the region’s teams not being as exciting to watch. Many people feel as though North American Valorant players are flashier. But nobody can deny how impressive players like Team Liquid’s Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom was he got headshot after headshot.

Riot is currently planning the Valorant Champions Tour for next year, where teams from all over the world will be able to prove themselves once again through international competition.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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