VCT Pacific Loses Viewership Lead After 43% Peak Drop

VCT Pacific lost its position as the regional league with the highest peak viewership after the Stage 2 grand final peaked at about 305,300 viewers, a 42.8% decline from the previous stage. Stage 2 broadcasts generated 22.5 million Hours Watched, up 10% from Pacific Stage 1, while Average Viewers fell 20.5%.

Organizers and analysts cited the early elimination of Paper Rex as a primary factor. Paper Rex won Stage 1 but failed to reach the top four in Stage 2, removing a major audience draw for casual and returning viewers.

Declines were pronounced across several broadcast languages. English average viewership fell from roughly 46,000 to about 31,300. Vietnamese and Indonesian streams each lost about half their average audiences. The drops occurred across official broadcasts and leading community casters.

The official VCT Pacific YouTube channel lost roughly one-third of its Average Viewers compared with Stage 1. Community casters Pujan ‘GOFNS’ Mehta and Hashimoto ‘bijusan’ Ren also recorded notable decreases in their stream audiences.

On the competitive side, Global Esports completed a reverse sweep against Nongshim RedForce to win the Stage 2 grand final 3-2. The victory was Global Esports’ first VCT Pacific title and included a $100,000 prize. The two finalists secured direct qualification for VALORANT Champions 2026, scheduled in Shanghai from September 24 to October 18. Paper Rex and T1 will also represent the Pacific region at the season-ending event.

Earlier in 2026, VCT Pacific led all regions and posted nearly twice the peak audience of VCT Americas. The last time VCT Americas outperformed Pacific in peak viewers was during the VCT Kickoff tournaments in early 2025. Only the VCT Ascension Pacific 2025 promotion event drew a smaller audience than the Stage 2 grand final.