CS2: IEM Katowice continues to smash viewership records

The fever pitch of hype surrounding IEM Katowice for CS2 is real – and the viewership numbers have been very much telling.

Data from Esports Charts, one of the world’s leading esports data providers, show that from February 5 to 12, 4 CS2 matches in IEM Katowice were among the most viewed for the week.

Topping the list was the phenomenal finals between Team Spirit and FaZe clan, which drew 972,312 peak viewers. Team Spirit eventually won and propelled the team towards three key tournaments: IEM Cologne, the BLAST Premier World Final, and the Esports World Cup.

This was followed by two matches held last February 9: ENCE vs Team Falcons at 564,763 peak viewers, while the G2 Esports vs FaZe match also drew over half a million, at 509,106 peak viewers.

Rounding out the top five are a Team Spirit vs Team Falcons match for CS2 which drew 487,218 peak viewers.

The only one that’s not a CS2 match was a G2 vs Fnatic match in LEC Winter 2024, which drew 459,711 peak viewers.

ESPORTS CHARTS: IEM KATOWICE ‘24 HAD HIGHER VIEWERSHIP THAN KATOWICE ‘23

Esports Charts also noted that the finals match between TS and FaZe showed a significant progress in the viewership of broadcasts.

It, too, set new record for the language of the host country: Poland.

“Especially notable were the results of the Polish broadcast: the language set a new record for esports viewership in five years,” Esports Charts said. 

They add, “Polish, in particular, set a new record — 172,000 peak viewers, which is 45% higher than the previous record set at the 2019 World Championship.”

They also noted the increases in viewership for the Russian, Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, and Ukrainian languages, while nothing that French and Vietnamese-language broadcasts have experienced lower numbers.

Esports Charts attributed this increase, especially in the Russian-language broadcasts, to support for Team Spirit. “Such a large difference is primarily due to the activity of viewers on Russian-language broadcasts: many tuned in to support Team Spirit in the grand final,” the report noted.

This year’s edition is now the fourth most-viewed edition of IEM Katowice, with IEM Katowice 2019 holding firm on the #1 slot with over 1.2 million peak viewers.