Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Photo via ESL

First day of IEM Rio sets new CS:GO Major viewership record

Are more records to be broken in Brazil?

A raucous day one at the IEM Rio CS:GO Major isn’t over yet and already the event is breaking records, with even loftier goals now realistically in sight.

Recommended Videos

During day one of the Challengers Stage of IEM Rio, the number of peak viewers reached just over 745,000, setting a new record for peak viewership during a Challengers Stage, according to the data gathered at Esports Charts. Both the primary English stream from ESL and the Portuguese/Brazilian stream from Gaules peaked at 308,000 viewers each.

The peak appears to have occurred during the high-profile matchup of round one of the Challengers Stage when the French-Danish superteam of Vitality took on the Brazilian fan-favorite squad of legends on Imperial. Vitality looked poised to absolutely decimate Imperial, at one point turning the unfathomably loud venue into a library. And while Imperial teased a potential comeback, they ended up falling short.

Prior to the start of round two in the Challengers Stage, the Rio Major has averaged over 519,000 viewers over its first eight hours of runtime. For context, both the PGL Stockholm and PGL Antwerp Majors each averaged less than 600,000 viewers during their entire run, but both also broke the 2 million peak viewer mark during the grand finals.

The first round of the Challengers Stage at IEM Rio has been a rough one for Brazil and South America, with all four SA teams losing their opening best-of-one. But that hasn’t deterred the Rio crowd from making noise.

Even with the slow start out of Brazil, IEM Rio has a chance to easily live up to the expectations that have been set for it, with (including ESL) deeming it the biggest or greatest Major of all time.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.