CDL viewership soars thanks to YouTube deal

It seems that the recent Call of Duty League YouTube deal is helping to increase the league’s viewership. At least according to the viewership numbers, which increased by more than 7% during the recent qualifiers for CDL Major 4. 

The viewership statistics by Esports Charts show that the average viewership of the CDL during the Major 4 Qualifier, which was broadcast on both YouTube and Twitch, reached more than 88,000 spectators.

This is the highest viewership the CDL Major qualifiers have reached since the Major 1 Qualifier in December 2022, which amassed an average viewership of over 106,000 viewers.

That said, the peak viewership of the Major 4 Qualifier was considerably lower than previous qualifiers, in fact, it was the lowest of them all — 154,000 peak viewers.

The CDL YouTube deal

This increase in CDL viewership appears to be almost entirely due to the Call of Duty League broadcast on YouTube. Esports Charts reports that 92.6% of viewers tuned in to Twitch during the Major 4 Qualifiers. That corresponds to an average of 81,853 viewers — a number similar to the average viewership of the previous two Major qualifiers. This means that around 6,500 spectators tuned in to watch the qualifiers on YouTube — a rather notable result.

Naturally, a viewership boost via YouTube is a good thing for the CDL, although it clearly indicates that fans prefer to watch CDL matches on Twitch. Indeed, the return of CDL back to Twitch earlier this season was greeted with great joy.

For the community, having the option of choosing the preferred platform to watch the CDL matches is surely much better, although the question is whether the league can earn money without an exclusive deal. 

OpTic buffs viewership

The CDL viewership also increased with additional interest in Team OpTic Texas, who always cause a stir on the scene. The squad is the first this season to set a flawless 5-0 record in a string of qualifiers, which also includes a victory against LA Thieves, the reigning CDL World Champions. 

OpTic is very popular with fans, and interest is particularly strong whenever they perform well. It seems that after finishing second at Major 3, which took place on their home grounds, fans knew they had something special to look forward to.

Major 4, which takes place in Columbus, Ohio, began yesterday, April 20th, and on the first day of the competition, we could see OpTic, Thieves, Subliners, and FaZe come out victorious to strengthen their chances in a battle for $500,000 in prize money.

Header: Call of Duty League