VCT 2026 watch time rises as average viewers fall 17%

VCT events recorded 218 million hours watched in 2026, a 3.1% increase from 2025. Average viewers declined 17.4% year over year and peak viewers fell 18.7%.

Total broadcast airtime increased 24.5% across the season through Kickoff, both Masters events and both stages of the International Leagues.

Stage 2 expanded its format to include Challengers teams through Play-Ins, increasing the number of teams and matches. Americas Stage 2 recorded a 33.5% increase in hours watched while its average viewers fell 5.3%. EMEA Stage 2 saw hours watched rise 6.6% as average viewers declined 21.5%.

Platform shares shifted from 2025. Twitch accounted for less than half of total hours watched in 2026. The Kick platform grew from 0.2% of hours watched in 2025 to 4.6% in 2026. Other non-Twitch platforms added to total broadcast hours.

Language-specific broadcasts showed mixed trends. Japanese-language streams increased hours watched by 24.6% and Portuguese streams rose 20.7%. Vietnamese, Indonesian and Thai streams also registered gains. English broadcasts remained the largest single source of watch time but fell about 3% year over year. Spanish and Korean broadcasts declined by 23.9% and 16%, respectively.

Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026 runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 18 and will provide the next major data point for the season’s audience statistics.