More than 660,000 Concurrent Viewers Tuned Into Ninja’s Esports Arena Fortnite Charity Stream
Celebrity streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins set a new record for himself when more than 660,000 concurrent viewers tuned into the livestream of his charity Fortnite event hosted at the Las Vegas Esports Arena. For most of the night, viewing figures held at 500,000 or higher.
During the event, participants had a chance to try and beat Ninja at Fortnite. Those who won each received $2,500. Each time Ninja won, he was awarded $5,000. He would put $2,500 toward the next round, and the other $2,500 to the Alzheimer’s Association. By the end of the night, 9 games were played and $50,000 was awarded. Ninja only one once, so most of the money went to participants. To celebrate his single victory, he and his wife did the Pon Pon dance.
All in all, it was a very successful event. The Alzheimer’s Association received some money and a lot of publicity, and Ninja brought his viewership numbers to new levels. That was a major win, probably enough to make him do the Pon Pon dance again a few times on his own later. All the participants had a great time, and quite a few walked away $2,500 richer.
This event serves to showcase the major draw which eSports has—and how it can be used to serve a good cause (it can even pay your way through college). Whatever the future of eSports may be, streamers like Ninja are going to be leading the way.