Blizzard has announced today that the Overwatch League has brought in more than 10 million viewers total over the course of its first week in the inaugural season. That is an impressive number considering it is a risky endeavor that hasn’t been done before by any other publisher or major esports game.
It’s safe to say that Blizzard’s investment into its own Overwatch League is a success, based on its first week. In addition to the 10 million total viewers. there were an average of 280,000 spectators per minute over the course of the first week’s 12 matches across four days. On the opening night a week ago on January 10th, there was an average of 408,000 viewers per minute.
According to Blizzard, the Overwatch League has “already reached the level of fanaticism enjoyed by traditional sports in several ways.” This is most likely true, because at the peak of the League’s viewership, it reached a total concurrent count of 437,000 watching at once across all of the various streaming platforms.
This is no surprise, as there were already some standout moments and games from the first week that rival anything that traditional competitive sports like basketball and football can offer. Some of these include the insanely tense Dallas Fuel and Seoul Dynasty match from the opening night, and Philadelphia Fusion’s strong debut match against the Houston Outlaws.
The Overwatch League kicks off its second week of the first stage of the season tonight at 7 pm PST (10 pm EST) with the hotly anticipated Philadelphia Fusion and San Francisco Shock match that is sure to be exciting. For more on the 12 teams in the League and who to root for, check out our breakdown of everything from where to watch it and more.
Image Credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
