Riyadh Masters 2023, the season’s largest Dota 2 competition which took place in Saudi Arabia from July 19 to 30, set a new viewership record. The series has surpassed its 2022 iteration, which was hosted in the same country, as well as the Dota 2 Major series in Lima, Berlin, and Bali, according to current statistics.
From the group stages to the grand final, the event witnessed a lot of upsets, including Team Spirit’s triumph against the European behemoth Team Liquid, which is heralded as one of the greatest prospects to win The International this year. And these surprises succeeded in capturing the attention of the audience who stayed from the beginning to the end of the tournament, which resulted in high viewership in every match.
According to Esports Charts figures as of July 30, the Riyadh Masters event recorded peak viewership of 587,891 out of a total airtime of 148 hours and 50 minutes. Furthermore, the data shows there were five matchups that stood out as highlights of the Riyadh Masters, one of which was the historic clash between Talon and Team Liquid in the upper bracket semi-finals, which resulted in total 388,198 peak viewership.
This feat outshined the numbers of the inaugural Riyadh Masters event, which was held at the same location in 2022 and this season’s Majors as well. In comparison, the Berlin Major, which was the most exciting Major of the season, ended with 507,620 peak viewership.
Aside from some interesting matchups, this new high could also be attributed to the hype around the Riyadh Masters 2023, which was touted as ‘the royal tournament’ with a prize pool of $15,000,000, exceeding the prize pool of this season’s Majors. Furthermore, many online spectators, who are predominantly fans of European teams, responded positively to the tournament’s scheduling, which was more favorable for their time zone.
Riyadh Masters 2023 is part of Gamers8 events which being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July to August 2023. Apart from Dota 2, numerous popular video games such as Fortnite, Rocket League, FIFA 23, League of Legends, and PUBG Mobile are also being competed with large prizes. This event could potentially elevate Saudi Arabia to new heights in the esports industry.
