If the appeal of Overwatch's competitive scene was in ever in doubt, viewing figures for the first week of the Overwatch League suggest it's in a pretty good place. More than ten million people tuned in over seven days, with its Dallas Fuel vs Seoul Dynasty matchup drawing 437,000 people—the tournament's peak concurrent online viewership so far.
As relayed by Blizzard in a press release, these numbers were split between Twitch—who was declared an "exclusive worldwide third-party provider" last week—Major League Gaming, and a number of Chinese streaming partners, such as NetEase CC, Panda TV and ZhanQi TV.
An average audience of 408,000 viewers per minute was recorded on day one, against the full week's 280,000 viewers per minute average. Blizzard notes that these figures don't account for multiple Overwatchers tuning in via the same browser and/or device, and that tickets for those watching from the L.A. Blizzard Arena in person sold out throughout the full seven days.
Which is pretty impressive. As someone who only ever plays Overwatch in bursts, winning two consecutive rounds makes feel like a pro. Watching the best plays from week one of the Overwatch League firmly reminds me that I'm not.
Season one of the Overwatch League runs now through June, with playoffs and finals scheduled for July.
