IEM Cologne 2023 breaks viewership record

The recently concluded IEM Cologne garnered an impressive viewership of over 700,000 at its peak, solidifying its position as the second most-watched CS:GO tournament of the year.

IEM Cologne has always been a prominent fixture on the esports calendar, a magnetic force that draws in millions of fans. Over the years, it has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, much like its European counterpart, IEM Katowice.

As the dust settled after an intense battle in the grand finals, it became clear that the 2023 edition of IEM Cologne was no exception. IEM Cologne 2023 has shattered expectations and set a new standard for audience engagement, leaving industry experts stunned by its mind-boggling viewership numbers.

From the early exit of North America’s Team Liquid to the unexpected twists that befell FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere, the journey was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. In a climactic finale that left fans on the edge of their seats, G2 Esports emerged victorious, toppling ENCE with a score of 3:1.

The event recorded a whopping peak audience of over 700,000 viewers, firmly securing its rank as the second most-watched CS:GO tournament of the entire year, just behind the Paris Major.

IEM Cologne 2023 viewership numbers

Now, let’s talk numbers, which come straight from the esports viewership database Esports Charts. The grand finals between G2 Esports and ENCE, a showdown for the ages, managed to captivate a staggering 727,000 viewers concurrently. That’s right, over three-quarters of a million people tuned in at the same time to witness the epic clash unfold. But the grand finals were not the only spectacle that drew eyes to the screens.

Compared to last year, #IEM Cologne dropped 42% in Peak Viewers. 😬

Given the early exits from some of the favorites, it’s still surprising that #IEMCologne 2023 outperformed its predecessor by most metrics! 💪

📊 More on our article:https://t.co/kZYywYV7ia@IEM @ESLCS pic.twitter.com/6fAHfItlbi

— Esports Charts 🇺🇦 (@EsportsCharts) August 8, 2023

Throughout the event’s 101 hours of exhilarating gameplay, an average of over 291,000 viewers were glued to their monitors. The broadcasts resonated in over 100 unique channels, spanning languages from English and Portuguese to Russian and even Burmese. The dominance of Twitch, with 4.5 times more Hours Watched than YouTube, underscores the platform’s significance in uniting fans worldwide.

The numbers for this year’s edition are encouraging, but previous editions of the tournament had even more impressive results. Rewind to 2021, when IEM Cologne’s peak viewership touched an impressive 842,000. Moreover, an interesting shift can be observed when comparing this year’s edition to the nail-biting 2022 edition, the most-watched IEM Cologne to date. While peak viewership took a dip from the previous year’s 1.2 million mark, the average viewership for IEM Cologne 2023 surged ahead.

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