The Riyadh Masters 2023 Dota 2 tournament in Saudi Arabia concluded on July 30th, making waves with its incredible viewership, surpassing major events in Lima, Berlin, and Bali. Compared to Riyadh Masters 2022, Peak Viewership saw a significant 62% increase.
Riyadh Masters is a prestigious international Dota 2 championship held as part of the annual Gamers8 event in Saudi Arabia. The 2023 edition raised the bar with an astonishing $15 million prize pool, positioning it as the most substantial independent tournament of the season, surpassing Valve’s majors and previous editions of The International series. Notably, this tournament also served as a crucial rehearsal for the upcoming world championship in Seattle.
With 20 teams from six regions of the Dota Pro Circuit participating, Riyadh Masters 2023 witnessed intense competition in the Play-In series and group stage. The top 12 teams advanced to the double-elimination bracket, where Team Spirit emerged as the ultimate victor, clinching the championship title by defeating Team Liquid 3-1 and securing a staggering $5 million prize.
Eastern European teams showcased exceptional prowess throughout the tournament, an unprecedented occurrence in any major event this season, with three teams securing spots in the Top 6. Western European giants, Team Liquid, and Gaimin Gladiators maintained their reputation with impressive performances.
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Meanwhile, Talon Esports once again proved their dominance as the strongest representative from Southeast Asia by reaching the Top 3. On the other hand, teams from North and South America faced challenges with lower placements, and the Chinese representatives achieved a somewhat mediocre result, settling for the 7-8th place. Notably, the Chinese team PGS.LGD had claimed the championship title at Riyadh Masters 2022.
The excitement surrounding the Riyadh Masters 2023 Dota 2 tournament reached unprecedented levels, accumulating a little over 30 million Hours Watched. The broadcasts garnered an Average Viewers number of 202K, while the Peak Viewers number soared to a
remarkable 587.8K individuals. The highlight of the tournament was undoubtedly the thrilling Grand Final clash between Team Liquid and Team Spirit, which emerged as the sole series to surpass half a million Peak Viewers.
Viewers from around the globe had the opportunity to catch the thrilling matches on 44 different channels, ranging from official studio channels to community caster streams. The primary languages for the broadcasts remained traditional, with Russian and English taking the lead. Additionally, Tagalog broadcasts also received an excellent response, drawing even more viewers compared to The Bali Major 2023.
Twitch proved to be the most popular platform for the tournament, generating a staggering five times more Hours Watched than YouTube. The disparity in Peak Viewers between the two platforms was even more significant, underlining Twitch’s dominant position in the gaming community during the Riyadh Masters 2023.
Teams from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia dominated the Top 5 most popular teams of the tournament. The leading team showcased remarkable performance, significantly surpassing other teams in terms of Average Viewers. The gap between the first and second team in this metric was nearly 30K viewers.
Contrasting Riyadh Masters 2023 with Other Tournaments.
Riyadh Masters 2023 has outperformed Riyadh Masters 2022 across all metrics, showcasing remarkable growth in viewership and engagement. Despite a marginal difference in Average Viewers with 201.9K and 200.3K people, respectively, the total Hours Watched tripled, reflecting the tournament’s increased popularity and extended duration due to a larger pool of participants.
Peak Viewers for Riyadh Masters 2023 witnessed a significant surge, improving by an impressive 62% compared to the previous year’s tournament. Notably, Team Spirit once again found itself facing off against a Western European team in the most popular match of the tournament, securing victory in both instances. Riyadh Masters 2023 has truly set new standards of excitement and success, leaving its predecessor in the shadows.
