IEM Katowice Breaks Record as Europe's Most-Watched Esports Event Ever
The 2014 IEM World Championship and EMS One tournaments in Katowice, Poland made history as Europe's highest-rated esports event, according to data from Twitch and Turtle Entertainment.
Key highlights:
- Over 1 million peak concurrent viewers globally
- 1,442 total years of video watched
- 643,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch alone
- Doubled the previous year's championship ratings
Notable achievements:
- League of Legends final between KT Rolster Bullets and Fnatic: 511,000 concurrent viewers
- Counter-Strike: 250,000 concurrent viewers and $250,000 prize pool
- StarCraft 2: Over 150,000 concurrent viewers
- Hearthstone exhibition: 50,000 concurrent viewers
While impressive, these numbers fell short of some US-based events:
- Dota 2 International: 1.1 million concurrent viewers
- League of Legends World Championships: 8.5 million concurrent viewers
Additional statistics:
- 23,164,454 video plays
- Viewers from 180+ countries
- 12,000 live attendees at the venue
"It was only six or seven years ago that we were happy to see 12,000 concurrent online viewers on a single match," said Michał Blicharz, Managing Director of Pro Gaming at ESL. "We had 12,000 watching matches live in the flesh in Katowice and hundreds of thousands online. This growth is simply mind blowing."
According to Stuart Saw, Twitch's regional director, "Esports events now regularly attract a global audience which rivals cable and broadcast television-sized audiences."
[Image URLs remain unchanged as per original content]
Related Articles
Street Fighter 6 Breaks All-Time Evo Tournament Record, Sets New FGC Milestone
