The group stage of IEM Chengdu 2024 concluded yesterday with the conclusion of the last matches, during which FaZe Clan and G2 Esports secured the final two slots in the playoffs. So far, this Counter-Strike event has garnered a similar audience reach to that of IEM Sydney 2023, albeit slightly lagging behind in terms of watch time.
The group stage of IEM Chengdu 2024 presented viewers with several unexpected outcomes. Probably the biggest upset was the early elimination of Cloud9, which played only three series in the tournament. G2 Esports and the finalists of the previous major, FaZe Clan, faced their fair share of challenges to reach the playoffs, as both teams had to battle through the lower bracket. On the other hand, MOUZ and Astralis had a remarkably smooth journey through the group stage, securing their spots in the semifinals with confidence.
The most popular match of the group stage was the series between MOUZ and FURIA Esports, which took place on the first day and drew in 253.7K Peak Viewers. Following closely behind was another match featuring FURIA, largely due to the community casting by Brazilian streamer Gaules, whose channel boasted the highest audience turnout. However, despite FURIA Esports' strong fan engagement, they failed to advance to the playoffs, so we'll unlikely see the same level of activity from Brazilian viewers going forward.
Following the group stage, IEM Chengdu 2024 has achieved almost the same audience reach as the equivalent stage of IEM Sydney 2023. Although both the average and peak viewership numbers have just slightly decreased, this change can be deemed insignificant: watch time has dropped by 13%, primarily due to fewer broadcast hours.
The group stage of IEM Chengdu 2024 was covered across 50 unique channels, whereas in IEM Sydney 2023's equivalent stage, there were 70+. The most popular channels were Gaules, alongside ESL's official channels on Twitch and YouTube.
Comparing both tournaments regarding language dynamics, only Portuguese showed positive growth. This can be attributed to the absence of any Brazilian teams in IEM Sydney 2023, whereas IEM Chengdu 2024 featured FURIA Esports led by legendary sniper FalleN. However, English and Russian languages experienced significant declines, with average viewership decreasing by 17% and 23% respectively compared to the Australian tournament.
At first glance, IEM Chengdu 2024 shows similar statistics in the group stage as IEM Sydney 2023. However, the tournaments had different conditions, ranging from time zones to the composition of participants. Sydney hosted more prominent teams such as Natus Vincere and Team Vitality. The Chinese tournament also faced forced replacements for Complexity Gaming, M80, and Monte. The absence of the latter negatively impacted the statistics of the Ukrainian broadcast. As a result, the tournament featured three Chinese teams, which have fewer fans in the Western audience. Consequently, interest in matches involving them was relatively low.
The playoffs of IEM Chengdu 2024 will take place from April 12th to 14th. In the quarterfinals, Virtus.pro will face G2 Esports, while Team Liquid will play against FaZe Clan. The winners of these matches will compete against MOUZ and Astralis in the semifinals. You can follow the tournament's progress on the coverage page.