Seoul PGS Circuit Raises PUBG Viewership with Regional Feeds

PGS Circuit 1 ran March 18–April 5 in Seoul, combining three consecutive PUBG Global Series events into a single competitive circuit that featured 24 teams from six regions. Organizers changed the broadcast model, added player point-of-view streams and set a $500,000 prize pool for the circuit.

Organizers replaced a single global feed produced at the venue with eight independent regional broadcast teams. Each regional team controlled its own in-game cameras, replays and storytelling for viewers in their market. Event production also offered a live POV stream for every competing player, allowing fans to follow individual players from the drop through the final circle. Those additions increased active broadcast channels from about 100 in early 2025 to 192 during Circuit 1.

Audience measures rose while total airtime per event fell by roughly 30 percent. Average concurrent viewership increased 20.2 percent compared with the 2025 average. Total consumption reached 5.89 million hours watched, a 23.7 percent increase over 2025. Individual player channels drew significant attention: Lã Phương “Himass” Tiến Đạt from Anyone’s Legend recorded nearly the same watch time as the official Korean broadcast channel.

The circuit format linked three events inside a single competitive window. That structure produced more frequent payout opportunities and rewarded cumulative performance across events. Six teams earned more than $30,000 during Circuit 1, compared with two to four teams reaching that level in comparable 2025 blocks. The top five teams claimed 58 percent of the prize pool. Petrichor Road and Natus Vincere accumulated $51,000 and $48,000, respectively, through consistent high placements across the circuit.

Digital content production expanded through a decentralized model that included 12 Global Partner Teams. Across the three-week period partners produced over 5,200 pieces of social media content, about three times the volume from comparable periods in 2025. The partners averaged roughly 160 pieces each and the combined posting rate was about 438 items per day. Those posts generated more than 82 million social video views.

PGS Circuit 1 established a baseline for the 12-event 2026 season. The circuit returns May 20 for Circuit 2, where the same production and competition format will be used as teams continue to compete for PGC 2026 qualification.