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Japanese esports tournaments record a year-over-year 70% increase in cumulative viewing time between April and June 2022, with over 350 tournaments broadcasted (data source: TAIYORO).

2022-07-06
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PlayBrain Inc. (headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, hereafter referred to as PlayBrain) is proud to to share insights into the viewership trends of domestic esports tournaments for the second quarter of 2022 (April to June) and the entire year, leveraging data collected via “TAIYORO,” a comprehensive website for esports tournament schedule information.

In the second quarter of 2022 (from April to June), Japanese fans were captivated by two significant international competitions: the VALORANT "2022 Champions Tour Stage1 Masters Reykjavik" held in Reykjavik, Iceland, and the League of Legends "Mid-Season Invitational" in Busan, South Korea. The highlight of April's VCT Masters was the Japanese team securing a commendable third-place finish worldwide, which boosted the peak viewership to more than 190,000 (counting only the official main broadcast).

Additionally, the viewership for VALORANT's domestic official tournament, "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour Challengers Japan Stage2," which began in May, surged dramatically. The finals, broadcast on June 26 from the Japan's largest arena venue and including sub-broadcasts by popular streamers, achieved an impressive peak concurrent viewership of roughly 340,000 (with the official main broadcast attracting about 170,000 viewers).

Driven by these events, the cumulative viewing time for Japanese esports tournament broadcasts showed significant growth, with a 70% increase compared to the same period last year. The number of tournament broadcast days during this period also increased to over 350, more than 100 days up from the previous quarter (January-March), illustrating the frequent broadcasting of competitive gaming across various titles.

Below are the main topics from the domestic esports broadcasting viewership data for April to June 2022, as independently compiled by TAIYORO.

Japanese esports viewing time sets a year-over-year record surge of +70%

  • Over 350 esports tournaments were broadcasted domestically between April and June 2022

  • More than 25 game titles were featured in these esports tournaments

  • The cumulative viewing time for Japanese esports tournaments soared to about 1.46 billion minutes, marking a dramatic increase of 70% compared to the previous year

  • The highest peak concurrent viewership for an event was reached during the Semi Finals of the "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour Stage1 Masters Reykjavik" on April 24th, with 190,000 viewers (official main broadcast only)

  • 5 tournaments achieved a peak concurrent viewership of more than 100,000 viewers (Game titles featured: VALORANT, League of Legends, Apex Legends)

Esports broadcast viewing trends from April to June 2022 (data by TAIYORO)

"VALORANT" tops the charts with highest cumulative viewing time (Approximately 800 Million Minutes)

The "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour Stage1 Masters Reykjavík" saw the Japanese team "ZETA DIVISION" achieved a remarkable third-place finish at the international tournament, recording a a whopping 230 million minutes of watch time, doubling the previous year's figures. Following this, the Japanese "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour Challengers Japan Stage2" tournament held in May scored 470 million minutes of watch time, marking a fivefold increase from the previous year's comparable events. (Note: This does not include viewership from secondary streams by streamers)

With the inclusion of "RAGE VALORANT" among other events, VALORANT's total watch time hit around 800 million minutes, dominating over half of the total esports watch time in Japan between April and June 2022.

"Knives Out" dominates with the most broadcast days (over 40 days)

"Knives Out" remained the title with the highest frequency of broadcasts, thanks to the "Knives Out CHAMPIONSHIP" that kicked off in March and the weekly "FFL Knives Out" league matches hosted by FENNEL every Friday, continuing its streak from the previous quarter.

A record high for "LJL 2022 Spring Split" with 75,000 concurrent viewers (doubled from last year)

The "LJL 2022 Spring Split" finals, held on April 10th under a new schedule format spanning over 100 matches, recorded the league's all-time high peak concurrent viewership of 75,000 (about double the previous year). Combining both the main broadcast to official sub-broadcasts by popular streamers, the peak concurrent viewership reached approximately 110,000.

"Street Fighter V Champion Edition" draws growing attention (4th TOPANGA CHAMPIONSHIP)

The 4th season of the TOPANGA CHAMPIONSHIP, the highest domestic league for "Street Fighter V Champion Edition," captivated the fighting game community since its beginning in March. The finals on June 19th attracted 48,000 peak concurrent viewers, highlighted by its venue at "RED° TOKYO TOWER" in Tokyo Tower, spotlighting the tournament's appeal to fans.

About the esports calendar “TAIYORO”

The esports calendar website “TAIYORO” is dedicated to making it easier for fans to watch esports tournaments by offering up-to-date information on esports broadcasts within Japan and collecting data on viewership. One of its unique feature is the free Discord Bot, which enables users to link the schedule of Japanese esports broadcasts directly to their Discord servers.

Information listed on TAIYORO spans from competitions in major professional esports leagues both in Japan and internationally (with Japanese language broadcasts), down to community-level tournaments and innovative new events, all with the objective of continually updating to support the growth and expansion of the esports viewership community.

Learn more about the TAIYORO esports calendar: https://taiyoro.gg/

For more information on the free TAIYORO Discord Bot: https://taiyoro.gg/discord

TAIYORO is committed to providing accurate and analyzable viewership data to deepen understanding of fan engagement in Japan’s esports scene, aiming to facilitate new business opportunities and enrich the fan experience. Customizable reports will soon be available to offer compiled viewership data reports to businesses, event organizers, and media outlets.

About TAIYORO

TAIYORO is a portal site designed for esports viewing fans, offering comprehensive information on esports tournaments within Japan, from VODs of past events to broadcast details of upcoming events. Whether you are searching for the schedule of esports tournaments for your favorite game titles or want to catch the esports events everyone is currently buzzing about, our goal is to bring the excitement of esports viewing closer to everyone and share the fun of watching esports with as many people as possible.

The information on our site is kept up-to-date and accurate thanks to contributions and cooperation from tournament organizers and communities. If you find any inaccuracies or wish to request corrections, please reach out to us via the contact form.

Website: https://taiyoro.gg/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Taiyoro_gg