Challengers Japan leads in viewership over France, Turkey, Spain combined with 232k peak viewers

The viewership figures for VALORANT Challengers Japan Split 1 surpass those of every Ascension event held last year.

JAPAN – Japan emerges as the leader in viewership among all 23 leagues worldwide in the first split of VALORANT Challengers 2024, according to Esports Charts.

During VALORANT Challengers Japan Split 1, a match between Murash Gaming and NORTHEPTION on the second day achieved a peak viewership of 232 thousand, surpassing the combined peak viewership of France (50k), Turkey (22k), Spain (13k), and East (3k). With the Regular Season not even halfway through, there is a potential for even higher peaks.

In another comparison, the viewership figures for VALORANT Challengers Japan Split 1 surpass those of every Ascension event held last year in the Americas (120k), Pacific (186k), and EMEA (227k), indicating the enthusiasm of the Japanese community for both the participating teams in VCJ and VALORANT as a whole.

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The remarkable peak also represents a significant increase from last year, when the first split reached a peak of 160 thousand, and the second split managed only 131 thousand, both featuring Japanese powerhouse Crazy Raccoon. However, with the players now ascending to the Pacific League under the DetonatioN FocusMe banner, Murash Gaming’s presence has effectively filled the void, preventing a potential decline in viewership.

Founded in November 2022, Murash Gaming is an organization owned by renowned Japanese streamer Junichi “UnkoChan” Kato. The unique aspect of this organization is its stance on sponsorship, as it does not accept sponsors with the owner fully financing its activities. 

Murash Gaming’s inaugural appearance in the main event of VALORANT Challengers Japan will be spearheaded by a roster led by the former DetonatioN FocusMe member Ryumon “Reita” Oshiro, accompanied by four other promising and emerging players.

The owner’s co-streaming efforts significantly contributed to the highest percentage of viewership, with Junichi Kato reaching a peak of 136 thousand viewers on Twitch. Nevertheless, even without the hypothetical presence of Murash Gaming, the league itself drew substantial numbers, boasting an average viewership of 93 thousand across all matches and reaching a peak of over 100 thousand for non-MG matches.

It remains to be seen whether the viewership numbers will persist and potentially reach higher levels as the tier-one league in Seoul kicks off its season with the VCT Pacific KICKOFF event this weekend.

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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT Challengers JP