Riot Games has consistently billed the VCT LOCK//IN tournament in SĂŁo Paulo as an event for the fans, and as the first few matches of the opening round have gone on, the fans have been tuning in.
Over the first two days of the tournament, viewership for the event peaked at 538,000 viewers on day one during the KOI vs. NRG opener, and on day two peaked at 467,000 during Karmine Corp vs. FPX, according to data provided by Esports Charts.
These numbers place VCT LOCK//IN above both VCT Masters ReykjavĂk and Masters Copenhagen when it comes to opening day peaks. In ReykjavĂk, day one peaked at 514,000 viewers during the DRX vs. ZETA DIVISION match, and day two peaked at only 392,000 viewers during Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Fnatic. In Copenhagen, day one peaked at 438,000 viewers during LOUD vs. KRĂś Esports.
While day one/two viewership isn’t quite at the same level as say Champions 2022, although few expected a kickoff tournament to even compete with a world championship when it comes to viewership, it’s a welcome sign that viewership for the first international VALORANT event of the year continues to grow each year.
It’s also worth noting that Champions 2022 set the standard for virtually all viewership metrics when it comes to professional VALORANT, setting incredible highs for both total viewership and peak viewership. But as the stakes get higher in the later rounds of VCT LOCK//IN, and the schedule moves into the always optimal weekend broadcast days, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 2023 kickoff event really compete with Champions 2022 in the major viewership categories.
