Wanyama, Origi Fifa 21 match breaks Facebook record
A poster announcing the PS4 Fifa 21 clash pitting Harambee Stars skipper Victor Wanyama and Arnold Origi set for November 10, 2020.
What you need to know:
- During the Livestream, the match had a peak viewership of 1100 people, and within two days it had crossed the 20,000 organic views mark. A week later, the match had an organic viewership of 25,349, a record number in the local esports market.
- The only other entity to broadcast a Fifa esports match on Facebook in Kenya is the African Esports Championship.
Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama's Fifa 21 PlayStation 4 match against teammate Arnold Origi broke viewership records, according to Facebook metrics.
The footballers were pitted in a two-legged match with the winner being decided on aggregate score.
The esports match, which was hosted live by the Football Kenya Federation on the Harambee Stars Facebook page on November 10, is now the most-watched EA operated esports broadcast in Kenyan history.
The broadcast was way beyond the viewership metrics set by the next most-watched Fifa match in Kenya, The Africa Esports Championship uploaded on February 17, 2020.
According to Facebook metrics from the Harambee Stars page, the event had a total watch time of 64,807 minutes. To put that into context, that's the equivalent of over 720 full-length 90-minute football matches.
It's also the equivalent of 45 days of watch time, or one and a quarter months.
During the Livestream, the match had a peak viewership of 1100 people, and within two days it had crossed the 20,000 organic views mark. A week later, the match had an organic viewership of 25,349, a record number in the local esports market.
The only other entity to broadcast a Fifa esports match on Facebook in Kenya is the African Esports Championship.
Their best performing match had 19,445 sponsored views, some nine months after being uploaded.
The footballers were pitted in a two-legged match with the winner being decided on aggregate score.
The growing popularity of esports has seen sports organisations all over the globe turn to video gaming. Harambee Stars was the latest of them, becoming only the third Football federation in Africa after Egypt and South Africa to venture into the space.
These impressive viewership figures showcase the sheer popularity of Fifa esports, with the entire esports industry in general growing increasing popular worldwide.
