Mirror broadcasts of esports tournaments have now exceeded a total of 500 million minutes watched - A look at the trends in viewing domestic esports competitions from April to June 2023 [PLAYDATA]
The cumulative viewing time for mirror broadcasts by streamers and VTubers, excluding official broadcasts, has surpassed 500 million minutes, accounting for roughtly 30% of the total viewing ratio. Notably, mirror streams for events like Street Fighter 6 have seen total peak viewership numbers soar past 500,000, showcasing the growing influence of these alternative broadcasts.
PlayBrain Inc. (headquarters located in Shinagawa, Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as PlayBrain) has announced the viewing trends of domestic esports tournament broadcasts for the period from April to June 2023, based on data measured through the esports broadcasting data analysis service "PLAYDATA" (https://www.playdata.gg/).
While the previous reports offered were strictly based on viewership data from the esports calendar site “TAIYORO” (https://taiyoro.gg/), information will now be provided as "PLAYDATA", an e-sports data analysis service released in May, 2023.
*Overview of April to June 2023
VALORANT maintains its strong popularity, joined by the newly launched Street Fighter 6.
The "VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo," which marked Japan's first time hosting an international VALORANT event, attracted great attention from the fans. This enthusiasm extended to other competitions such as "VCT PACIFIC" and "VALORANT Challengers Japan 2023 Split 2." Collectively, these VALORANT tournaments accounted for nearly half of Japan's total viewing time of 1.76 billion minutes, showcasing the game's consistent appeal within the country.
*Donut chart of cumulative viewing hours by game
Additionally, the competitive fighting game "Street Fighter 6," released in June 2023, quickly became the center of attention with the event "The 1st Crazy Raccoon Cup Street Fighter 6." The event captivated a large audience, recording over 500,000 peak concurrent viewers across various mirror broadcasts, excluding the official one, highlighting its immediate popularity.
Cumulative viewing time for mirror broadcasts surpasses 500 million minutes
Between April 1 and June 30, 2023, mirror broadcasts accounted for roughly 510 million minutes of the total 1.76 billion minutes watched across 175 esports tournaments and events. This figure, representing about 30% of the total viewership from sources other than official channels, sets a new record in PLAYDATA's tracking history. It underscores the growing significance of mirror broadcasts, including watch parties, as an integral aspect of the esports tournament viewing experience.
*The proportion of mirror broadcasts compared to official broadcasts
Following are the key events that shaped these outcomes:
1st Crazy Raccoon Cup for Street Fighter 6 (June 25, 2023)
Organized by the pro gaming team "Crazy Raccoon," this Street Fighter 6 esports event drew in elite streamers and pro gamers. In addition to the official channel, the event was extensively broadcasted on 20 mirror channels across Twitch and YouTube.
The viewing time from these additional broadcasts reached 170 million minutes, with peak viewership surpassing 500,000 viewers, a significantly larger crowd than many previous esports events in Japan. It marked a new movement in the Street Fighter 6 competitive scene.
VCT Masters Tokyo (June 11-25, 2023)
This first-ever international VALORANT tournament held in Japan had 120 million minutes of viewership coming from mirror broadcasts, which represented about 40% of the event's total viewing time.
MSI 2023 (May 2-21, 2023)
This international League Of Legends tournament held in London saw half of its watch time, or 62 million minutes, coming from mirror broadcasts.
3rd Crazy Raccoon Cup Overwatch2 (June 17-18, 2023)
Hosted by the pro gaming team "Crazy Raccoon," this Overwatch 2 esports event had about 80% of its watch time, which equaled 40 million minutes, delivered through mirror streams.
