The five-map BLAST Rivals Spring 2025 final, held in Copenhagen on 4 May between Team Vitality and Team Falcons, peaked at over one million viewers, making it the highest-peaking non-Major event in BLAST’s history.
When including Majors — the premier events in the competitive Counter-Strike 2 calendar — only the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 recorded higher figures. The data was published by Esports Charts.
BLAST events have seen a steady rise in viewership over the past two years, both on peak viewers and hours watched. Also according to Esports Charts, overall audience numbers declined significantly in 2023 compared to previous years, during which global lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic kept more viewers at home.
Recent data suggests that viewership levels from the 2020–2022 period may now have been matched once again, with highlight to the over 22 million hours watched at the BLAST Premier Bounty Season 1 in 2025 and the 900.000 peak viewers at the BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024. This could support the idea of a recovery in the industry — a shift hinted at by EA’s Head of Esports, Monica Dinsmore, ahead of the Apex Legends Global Series Open 2025 (ALGS Open), held in the United States over the same weekend.
Prize pools are increasing, and viewership records are being broken. However, financial challenges also persist. The esports industry shows itself once again in a pivotal moment, with key players and pieces repositioning on the board in preparation for the next round. A breath of fresh air may finally be felt by those who remain in the game.
