Japan 2022/Q1 Esports Report; Viewed hours for domestic esports tournaments increased 56% YoY

PlayBrain is pleased to report the latest domestic esports tournament viewing trends for 2022 Q1, based on data observed through TAIYORO, a website that provides comprehensive information on domestic esports tournament broadcast schedules.

The months of January through March are the time of year when major esports leagues begin their new seasons, attracting the attention of many fans. This year, major leagues and tournaments in Japan such as "LJL (League of Legends Japan League)" and "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour" started in mid-February, and the number of viewers greatly exceeded that of the previous year in terms of broadcast viewing data.

Below are the main topics from TAIYORO's own domestic esports broadcast viewing data for 2022 Q1.

Total viewing time increased by 56% YoY

• More than 250 esports tournaments distributed in Japan (+14% compared to the previous year) (*1)
• More than 25 game titles used in esports tournaments
• Viewing time for domestic esports events totaled approximately 850 million minutes, a 56% increase over the previous year, recording significant growth.
• The highest average number of simultaneous viewers exceeded 50,000, far exceeding the previous year's 20,000 or so (*2)

(*1) Major tournaments measured during the period based on TAIYORO's selection criteria (*2) "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour - Challengers Japan Stage 1" (January-March 2022, measured during the period)

2022 Q1 Major esports distribution viewing trends (TAIYORO survey)

Highest Total Viewing Time Game Title "VALORANT" (approx. 310 million minutes)

The "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour - Challengers Japan Stage 1" began in February, with a record number of concurrent viewers and a significant increase in cumulative viewing time. 310 million minutes (*3) of cumulative viewing time was recorded, which made up approximately 30% of the total cumulative viewing time for e-sports distribution in Japan during the period.

(*3) This is the cumulative viewing time measured for the main distribution, and does not include the number of views for mirror distribution.

The most frequently broadcasted game title "Knives Out" (40 days or more)

The official "Kouya ELITE LEAGUE SEASON 3" started in early January, when major esports leagues and tournaments were in their off-season, and the "FFL Knives Out" league game hosted by FENNEL was distributed every Friday, making "Knives Out " the most frequently distributed game title during the period.

The most-viewed international tournament:“Six Invitational 2022” (February 8 - 20)

“Six Invitational 2022”, the largest international Rainbow Six Siege competition, was held in Stockholm, Sweden from February 8 to 20. Many fans watched Japan's CYCLOPS athlete gaming (CAG) compete against the world's best teams such as Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, Spacestation Gaming, and Rogue. The total viewing time of the tournament ranked third during the period, following "2022 VALORANT Champions Tour - Challengers Japan Stage 1" and "LJL 2022 Spring Split".

Esports reports are now delivered by PLAYBRAIN's Data Analytics platform, PLAYDATA

About PLAYDATA

PLAYDATA obtains and retains viewing data from over 60,000 domestic game-related streaming channels using its unique methodology, utilizing its rich database. In the services provided by PLAYDATA, a detailed analysis of a specified e-sports tournament can be generated as a PDF report. It enables deep insights, such as trends in the number of concurrent viewers during the tournament period and comparative analysis of viewing data for other game's e-sports tournaments broadcasted at the same time slot.

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