The Liga Brasileira de Free Fire 2023: Series A - Stage 1 was held at the LBFF Studio in Sao Paulo from April 15 to August 5 by Garena. It saw a marked improvement compared to the last two events in the series while also being the most watched and popular competition in the discipline this year.
LOUD won this $116K prize pool competition after accruing 141 points in the Finals to take home $20.5K and a slot in the Free Fire World Series 2023. In second was MIBR, earning $18.4K and a spot in the FFWS 2023, with Regular Season table topper Magic Squad also sealing a berth in this season-ending tournament.
Essential stats and popular matches from the LBFF 2023: Series A - Stage 1
The LBFF 2023: Series A - Stage 1 hit 171K Peak Viewers during Round 2 of the Finals, where popular sides MIBR, Keyd Stars, and paiN Gaming finished in the top three, in that order, on the Purgatory map. At this stage of this Free Fire event, LOUD was in the ninth spot overall, but the side managed to gain incredible momentum over the next few games to seal the deal in their favor.
The much-followed squad, founded by Brazilian YouTube megastar Bruno PlayHard, ended with four wins out of the eight rounds in the Finals to assert their dominance. The competition also did 7.6M Hours Watched and 50K Average Viewers over a massive airtime of 153 hours, 57.1% more than the next-best entry thanks to the new Regular Season that saw each side play 192 matches in total over 16 weeks of league play.
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When looking at the most popular channels, it was a famous former Free Fire pro gamer who topped the individual list when keeping aside the official Free Fire Esports Brazil handle on YouTube. Another renowned content creator for the game who uploads entertaining gameplay videos for fans also appeared in the third spot.
Most popular Free Fire tournaments in 2023 (Jan to August)
Sifting through the Free Fire tournaments this year, the LBFF 2023: Series A - Stage 1 ended as the most watched and popular, reiterating why it is such a massive esports discipline in Brazil. Some of this esports' most popular events have either been held in this part of the world or were competitions exclusive to the country, making it perhaps the most important market for Garena.
Comparing the first division of LBFF competitions held since 2020 by watch hours
When looking at the LBFF’s first division, it did not register that highly on any metric, although it did see a significant improvement from the last iteration in terms of watch time. The Liga Brasileira de Free Fire 2022: Series A Stage 2 notched just 3.7M HW, meaning 2023's tournament made a massive recovery for the series. It was also the second-most watched competition since the beginning of 2022, behind only the Liga Brasileira de Free Fire 2022 Series A Stage 1.
The Free Fire Esports roadmap for 2023 was a drastic change from the previous years, with the Free Fire SEA Invitational (FFSI) added to the calendar. The FFWS also became an end-of-season affair instead of having two legs at the middle and end of the year, like in 2022, so the viewership numbers have gradually seen a rise over the first half of the year. However, with the Fall Seasonal Pro Leagues commencing in June, users can expect higher numbers as teams prepare for the prestigious FFWS 2023.
