SGDQ 2024 fundraised $2.5M despite declining viewership

Summer Games Done Quick 2024 (SGDQ) wrapped up on July 6, raising over $2.5 million for Doctors without Borders. This latest edition of the charity speedrunning marathon series raised roughly the same total as other events in recent years. However, these consistent fundraising totals continue despite a downward trend in viewership.

According to GDQ’s fundraising data, its tentpole events — Awesome Games Done Quick (winter) and Summer Games Done Quick — have raised nearly $40 million since SGDQ 2017. On average, each event raised $2.6 million for charity or slightly more than SGDQ 2024. That being said, this year’s SGDQ outraised the previous year by 12%. Notably, AGDQ typically raises about 10% more than its summer counterpart.

Despite GDQ continuing to raise millions for charity, viewership for its main events has trended downwards since the pandemic. Summer Games Done Quick 2024 was the least watched event since its 2017 iteration.

Notably, this overall trend is not a result of a shorter broadcast. Outside of a slightly shorter SGDQ 2017, all tentpole events broadcasted for roughly 160 hours.

GDQ’s continued success

Despite declining viewership, GDQ continue to attract major brand sponsorships and community support. While SGDQ 2024’s viewership slid, the event was the most watched channel on Twitch during its airing. This may explain why brands such as Doritos, Red Bull and Streamlabs continue to sponsor GDQ.

Moreover, this trend indicates that fundraising is not directly correlated to overall viewership. In fact, GDQ has cultivated a loyal fanbase that helps make up for its smaller audience.

According to GDQ’s funding data, the average donation for its events has climbed consistently since SGDQ 2017. Compared to the same event in 2017, SGDQ 2024’s average donation was 28% larger. Likewise, the number of donations has trended downward since 2022.

Ultimately, this shows that most of GDQ’s donations came from a loyal core of fans, rather than a widespread casual audience. As long GDQ performs well on Twitch (relative to other channels), its overall declining viewership likely won’t impact brand sponsorships or its funding totals significantly.