The IEM Rio 2024 kicked off on October 7 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, featuring 16 teams, including four of the top five ranked globally. Fans are witnessing action from teams like NAVI, G2 Esports, MOUZ, and FURIA Esports, with the tournament winner securing a spot in the IEM Katowice 2025.
With such high-caliber teams participating and the success of last year’s IEM Rio 2023, this year’s event is expected to draw a significant audience. As part of Intel Grand Slam Season 5, many top teams are vying for a shot at the $1 million prize by aiming to win four key tournaments, with several competitors looking to make progress in Rio.
Viewership comparison for the first days of the past two IEM Rio editions
IEM Rio 2024’s opening day, with a total prize pool of $250,000, had a strong start, surpassing last year’s figures as most of the top teams secured victories. It hit a peak of 386.2K viewers on Day 1, a 6.5% increase from the 2023 edition, along with gains of 3.7% in Hours Watched and 8% in Average Viewers, setting a promising tone for the rest of the event.
What drew fans in large numbers was the participation of all teams in best-of-one matches. They were not disappointed, as teams like Natus Vincere, MOUZ, and Team Vitality secured victories and moved on to the Upper Bracket Semifinals.
An early upset came when G2 Esports, one of the favorites, lost 10:13 to Heroic in their opener, sending them to the lower bracket to fight for a Playoff spot. This match was also the most-watched on Day 1, with no other game reaching the 300K Peak Viewers mark.
Most popular matches from Day 1 of IEM Rio 2024
G2 Esports’ return, alongside paiN Gaming and Team Liquid, helped boost this year’s opening day numbers compared to IEM Rio 2023, where none of the games came close to hitting 300K Peak Viewers.
The rise in the number of channels covering the event also contributed to slight improvements across all metrics. Gaules remained the top streamer, simulcasting on Twitch and YouTube, but Russian CS creator bysl4m emerged as a surprise, with his streams on both platforms drawing over 200K Hours Watched on Day 1.
With the Group Stage continuing until October 9 and matchups like Team Liquid vs. FaZe Clan and Eternal Fire vs. G2 Esports on the horizon, this Counter-Strike tournament is poised to surpass the 2023 edition and potentially become one of the standout events of 2024.