First Stand viewership spike
First Stand 2026’s grand final pulled a peak audience that was 400,000+ higher than last year’s event — a big viewership bump that underlines growing interest in international esports finals. (escharts.com)
Esports Charts recorded the First Stand 2026 grand final between Bilibili Gaming and G2 Esports at just over 1.5 million peak concurrent viewers.. (escharts.com) That peak was roughly 400,000 higher than First Stand 2025’s final, which Esports Charts and contemporaneous trackers put at about 1,106,126 peak viewers — a roughly 35% year-on-year increase.. (sheepesports.com) The tournament’s high-water mark followed an even larger semifinal spike: G2’s upset over Gen.G peaked near 1.46 million concurrent viewers, a figure Esports Charts flagged as narrowly below the final.. (guzzistas.mforos.com) Bilibili Gaming beat G2 Esports 3–1 to lift the First Stand 2026 trophy in São Paulo on March 22, 2026, with Chen “Bin” Zebin named Finals MVP and the event awarding a $250,000 first-place prize.. (gol.gg) Esports Charts’ published peaks exclude viewership on Chinese streaming platforms because of data unavailability from those sites, so the reported “over 1.5 million” figure represents an international (non-China) measurement rather than China-inclusive global totals.. (escharts.com) Organizational changes that analysts linked to the spike include First Stand’s expansion to eight teams, an all–best-of-five format and the São Paulo hosting choice — factors Esports Charts and tournament roundups cited as drivers of increased watch time and stronger Brazilian-language viewership.. (escharts.com)
