In esports, viewership numbers serve as a vital barometer of a competition’s success. According to a report by Esports Charts, the recently concluded Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) 2023 Championship failed to match the staggering viewership figures of its 2022 predecessor. In a year marked by high expectations, this decline in viewership came as a surprising turn of events.

The 2022 edition of the ALGS Championship was a groundbreaking moment for the discipline. It set an all-time record in watch time, amassing over 11 million hours watched, cementing its status as a pinnacle event in the esports world. Fans and organizers alike anticipated continued growth in 2023.

ALGS 2023 Championship Failed to Maintain Viewership Despite a Good Start

Amid the anticipation, the ALGS 2023 Championship had an auspicious start, but it was short-lived. The 2023 Split 2 Playoffs, held earlier in the year, managed to accumulate approximately 10.6 million hours of watch time. This achievement marked a million-hour increase compared to the previous year’s Split 2 Playoffs, making it the second-most-watched event in the discipline’s history. It seemed the esports audience was growing.

However, the ALGS 2023 Championship failed to build on this momentum. Despite becoming the third-most-watched event in the discipline’s history, it couldn’t eclipse the 2022 Championship’s viewership figures. What’s even more telling is that it received slightly fewer viewership hours compared to the Split 2 Playoffs of the same year. The esports community had expected the championship event to be the pinnacle of the season, but it fell short of these expectations.

One factor that can be attributed to the event’s decent performance was the introduction of a new format. Unlike the previous year, where multiple matches were often happening concurrently, the organizers decided to give each match its dedicated time slot. This decision significantly contributed to the event’s increased watch time. The 2023 event remained live for over 8 hours longer than its 2022 counterpart. The format change is estimated to have brought an additional 1.8 million hours of watch time.

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Throughout the ALGS 2023 Championship, viewership reached its zenith during the finals. The final eighth round saw over 591,000 peak concurrent viewers witnessing TSM’s path to victory. Despite their struggles earlier in the tournament, TSM’s triumphant comeback in the final three rounds spurred an increase in peak viewership. It was an exciting climax to the event.