The Fortnite esports scene is increasingly centering its attention on North America. Recently, the regional stages of the Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) 2024 – Major 3 concluded, marking the first time this year that the North American tournament has outpaced its European counterpart in viewership.
As the premier esports series for the battle royale game, FNCS features top players from North America, Europe, Brazil, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East. To reach the FNCS finals, players must achieve high placements in regional majors, with three such tournaments held in each region. With the conclusion of FNCS 2024 – Major 3, the full roster of participants for the FNCS 2024 finals has been finalized.
Historically, North American and European tournaments have attracted the largest audiences, as these regions are the most influential within the game. In contrast, other regions have experienced notably lower and declining viewership this season.
FNCS 2024 – MAJOR 3: NORTH AMERICA VIEWERSHIP
The North American segment of FNCS 2024 – Major 3 took place on July 27-28, featuring 49 of the region’s top squads. The duo Peterbot and Pollo from Team Exceed emerged as the winners. Notable players such as Clix, Bugha, Veno, and EpikWhale reached the finals, while well-known competitors like Mongraal and MrSavage did not qualify this time.
The broadcasts of FNCS 2024 – Major 3: North America accumulated over 2.6 million hours of viewership, largely due to many players streaming their matches on personal channels. The event was broadcasted across 59 channels, with Clix’s channel attracting the most viewers.
Average viewership for the North American major was 127,200, with a peak of 310,000 viewers, making it the second-highest peak viewership for English-language streams in July, only behind the Esports World Cup 2024 for Counter-Strike.
FNCS 2024 – MAJOR 3: EUROPE
The FNCS 2024 – Major 3: Europe champions were the duo of Austrian player vic0 and German player Flickzy. Other strong performances came from players in Eastern Europe and Germany, including t3enyy, Merstach, Vadeal, Malibuca, and rezon ay.
Although the European tournament trailed behind the North American one in major viewership metrics, it did feature more unique streaming channels and broadcasts in a wider range of languages.
VIEWERSHIP TRENDS: EUROPE VS. NORTH AMERICA
Viewership trends in FNCS 2024 can be observed through the performance of its three major tournaments. Europe led the way early in the year, posting the highest numbers in key metrics such as Hours Watched, Average Viewers, and Peak Viewers, with FNCS 2024 – Major 1: Europe remaining the most popular tournament of the season so far. Europe continued to lead during the second major, but by the third major, North America had overtaken it.
It’s important to note that the visibility of tournaments like FNCS 2024 is heavily influenced by community casting from participating players. The more popular these player-streamers are, the better the overall viewership statistics for the tournament.
Comparing Europe and North America FNCS 2024 Majors
For the main Fortnite channel, average viewers for European tournaments steadily decreased from 31,300 to 9,600. In North America, there was also a decline, but it was less pronounced, dropping from 36,300 to 17,800, with a rise to 22,500 by the third major. In summary, each European major saw fewer viewers on the official channel, while North America’s trend was more variable.
Other regions, including Brazil, Asia, and Oceania, have consistently trailed behind, with the Middle East showing minimal viewership compared to these already lower-performing areas.
The main FNCS 2024 event is scheduled for September 7-8 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, where top players from the majors will compete for a $2 million prize pool. Last year’s tournament was won by the American-Canadian duo Cooper and Mero.
