Esports Charts, an analytics platform, has released a 10-year retrospective on esports audiences, highlighting significant shifts in viewership patterns. The report, which excludes mainland China, reveals that the streaming platform Kick experienced a 66% increase in esports watch time during the second quarter of 2026.
Kick's Rapid Growth and Market Share
Kick's growth is underscored by its expanding role in major tournaments. In Q2 2026, Kick accounted for 52% of the viewership for the StarLadder StarSeries Season 20 Counter-Strike 2 event. In 2025, Kick's share of total esports watch time reached 3.2%, a tenfold increase compared to the previous year. This signals Kick's emergence as a key player in the esports streaming landscape, challenging more established platforms.
Broader Esports Audience Trends
The industry set a new record in 2025 with 3.2 billion hours of esports watched globally, marking the third consecutive year of growth. Mobile esports continued to expand, making up over a quarter of all viewing time that year. The MLBB Mid Season Cup 2025, a Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament, saw TikTok capture more than 42% of its peak audience. The M7 World Championship for Mobile Legends set a new mobile esports record with a peak audience of 5.68 million in January 2026.
Additionally, Korean League of Legends (LCK) viewership reached 155.5 million hours in its 2025 season, surpassing the global Worlds 2025 championship, which drew 132.9 million hours.
Language and Regional Shifts
Esports Charts also notes a shift in audience language and regional preferences. In the first half of 2026, Asian-language broadcasts collectively attracted more viewers than English-language streams. Restreams accounted for 46.7% of viewership in the largest esports disciplines during the same period, reflecting evolving consumption habits.
Why This Matters for Industry Stakeholders
The rapid rise of platforms like Kick and the growing importance of mobile and Asian-language content signal changing dynamics for operators, affiliates, and suppliers. Companies may need to adapt strategies to tap into emerging platforms and regional markets, particularly as viewership increasingly shifts away from traditional channels and towards mobile and non-English broadcasts. Understanding these trends can help stakeholders target investments and partnerships for maximum reach and engagement.
Key takeaways
- Kick's esports viewership jumped 66% in Q2 2026, gaining market share in major tournaments.
- Global esports watch time hit a record 3.2 billion hours in 2025, with mobile disciplines growing steadily.
- Asian-language streams and restreams are capturing larger shares of the audience.
- Operators and affiliates may need to adjust strategies to address new platforms and regional trends.