America was the scene of two major esports events at the start of summer. Austin , Texas, hosted the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 , while Toronto, Canada, hosted the second Masters tournament of the 2025 Valorant season. Both tournaments ended simultaneously, with the grand finals coinciding in time. The finals ended on the night of June 22-23 Central European Time, treating viewers to intense and spectacular matches. However, according to Esports Charts, BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 surpassed Valorant not only in total viewing time, but also in peak and average concurrent viewership.
Course of Events
In Toronto, fans witnessed a dramatic showdown between Paper Rex , one of the leading teams in the Pacific region, and the European team Fnatic . The final was tense, with minimal advantages on each map. In the end, Paper Rex won the series 3:1, taking the title. In Austin , the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 set a new viewing time record before the grand final even began, surpassing the mark that had stood since 2021. The final began with Team Vitality 's defeat on the first map by The MongolZ , but the team rallied and won the next two maps, claiming their second Major title.
Audience Analysis
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 outperformed Valorant Masters in all key metrics, despite Valorant being broadcast on slightly more streaming channels. Specifically, the Austin tournament peaked at over 600,000 concurrent viewers, and the average audience was 90,000 higher. These figures do not include statistics from Chinese streaming platforms or Steam.tv. The numbers are preliminary, and final confirmation is expected tomorrow. If there are any changes, we will update the article and notify our readers.
Overall, Counter-Strike has confirmed its status as the leader among esports shooters, although this is only a temporary advantage. Both tournaments left behind some memorable moments, but the Major in Austin proved to be more popular with the audience. Follow our blog, where we will update the statistics and share additional analysis on Monday morning. Several regional records were broken, and there are still many details to discuss.
