Epic TI grand final sweep not enough to save Dota 2 pinnacle event’s flagging viewership

Viewership of Dota 2‘s The International has dived for the third straight year, with stats indicating a drop of 17 percent for 2024’s premier tournament despite a near-identical peak in yesterday’s epic grand final between Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators.

Liquid finally broke Gaimin’s stranglehold over the pair’s Dota 2 head-to-head record in yesterday’s TI 2024 grand final, ending a remarkable loss streak that stretched five finals in two years. A touch over 1.4 million Dota 2 fans tuned in to catch the grand final according to Esports Charts, and while this number matches that of 2023’s final between Gaimin and Team Spirit, viewership over the course of the tournament was far below par.

On average, 466,842 fans watched TI 2024 through its three stages; a full 80,000 fewer than last year and closer to numbers last seen in 2017. Watch hours were heavily affected, with nine million fewer hours despite the tournament’s length being nearly identical to previous few years. It’s the largest drop in viewership since 2022 (itself an outlier as it followed 2021’s first TI since the COVID pandemic), with tournaments well over seven years ago posting better figures.

Much has been said about why TI 2024 failed to re-capture Dota 2 fans. From starting mid-week instead of a weekend to the lack of stakes during a group stage where no team is eliminated, very few fans saw the purpose of the first week of competition outside of the eventual playoffs.

Above all, however, many have cited the lack of “hype” generated by Valve for this year’s TI. With the decision to remove the battle pass and keep the Compendium limited to pro player details, coupled with a complete lack of advertising for the tournament, the wider Dota 2 community barely even knew TI was starting until it appeared in-client on day one.

The dwindling prize pool and the decision to shift the group/early playoff stages into the studio and away from the audience also stripped away the luster for many—so much so that some fans are already considering the Saudi-funded Riyadh Masters “the new TI” thanks to its higher incentives.

As for the pro players, opinions vary wildly. Arteezy has said third-party events with huge prize pools offer an alternate avenue for Dota players outside of TI, while Quinn, Insania, and Aui_2000 have gone on the record saying the title and prestige of winning the Aegis of Champions trumps a massive prize pool—as long as the hype is built-up in the process.