Call of Duty League’s Major 3 held in Boca Raton, Florida, failed to reach the peak viewership figures of Majors 1 and 2 – and numbers suggest it is because the two most popular teams got eliminated incredibly early.
Major 3 saw the LA Thieves super team finally get the trophy that many fans expected them to be stacking in abundance this season when the roster was first formed. They dropped just two maps on their path to victory, both to eventual runners-up Vancouver Surge – who they actually ended up beating 4-0 in the grand final.
However, the third Major of the season had the lowest peak viewership so far, maxing out at 184,856 according to Esports Charts – around 15,000 less than Major 2 which peaked at 199,723.
While this part of the season does historically bring about a slight lull in viewership, it wasn’t helped by the fact that the two teams who tend to bring in good numbers bombed out early.
OpTic Texas, the 2024 world champions, have had an increasingly disappointing season, with numerous roster changes leaving them lagging towards the bottom of the pack. They came top 8 at Major 3, being their only victory against a Vegas Falcons team who have notched up one series win this season.
One of the few teams that did worse, however, are LA Guerrillas M8, newly-owned by Gentle Mates this season. They came top 12 for the third time in a row, but we have seen in recent tournaments how much viewership they can bring.
In fact, the most viewed match this season was OpTic Texas vs LA Guerrillas M8 at Major 1, which drew in 233,789 peak viewers, showing just how much these two teams contribute to viewership. With Major 4 and the Call of Duty Championship coming up in the next couple of months, it is a battle against time for them to turn their fortunes around.
