The IEM Katowice 2023 is the first of many Intel Extreme Masters CS:GO events that will run throughout the ongoing season. It will be followed by IEM tournaments in Brazil, Dallas, and Cologne before the finale, the IEM Fall 2023.
The Play-Ins of the IEM Katowice 2023 finished on February 3, followed by the Group Stage, which concluded on February 7. The top three sides from each group have now advanced to the Playoffs to be held in the Spodek Arena from February 10 to 12.
Having won their respective Upper Bracket Finals in Groups A and B, G2 Esports and Heroic have made the Semifinals. Meanwhile, Team Vitality, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, and Outsiders have made the Quarterfinals, with the first two and latter pair to play each other on February 10.
The winner of the first Quarterfinal between Team Vitality and Team Liquid will face G2 in the Semifinal on February 11, while the victor from the second Quarterfinal between Natus Vincere and Outsiders will battle Heroic in the second Semifinal on February 11. The Grand Final will follow between the winners of these matches on February 12.
IEM Katowice 2023 has not been able to pull in numbers like in previous years
The IEM Katowice has been a popular tournament among CS:GO fans for a long time, consistently pulling in good numbers and revenue on various streaming platforms. However, there seems to have been a change this year, as the 2023 event has seen a big decline in almost all metrics on channels like Twitch compared to 2022.
Granted, the ongoing event still has a few matches to go, but it looks unlikely that it will match the numbers posted by IEM Katowice 2022. In terms of pure numbers, last year’s showcase had a Peak Viewership of 1,122,015 compared to just 490,472 until yesterday’s final Group Stage match. Also, last year’s event enjoyed a whopping 315,635 Average Viewers during the group stage, while the ongoing tournament has seen that number plateau at 225,623.
For metrics like Hours Watched, there is still time till the Grand Final in four days to come to a proper conclusion, but the current rate does not inspire much confidence that IEM Katowice 2023 will surpass its predecessor in these segments.
Interestingly, Twitch has had more channels streaming this event in 2023, 43, compared to 29 in 2022, but it doesn’t look like that has helped the showcase attract more eyeballs this year. However, one final conclusion can only be drawn when the tournament ends.
What happened during the Group Stage?
It was an expected route to the Playoffs for the likes of G2 Esports, Na’Vi, Team Vitality, and Team Liquid, so fans will look ahead to these teams giving their all to book their berths in the Grand Final.
For the likes of Ninjas in Pyjamas, Faze Clan, Gambit, Fnatic, Cloud9, and OG, it was an event to forget, as they failed to make the Playoffs and fell to disappointing losses during the Group Stage.
The likes of FaZe and Fnatic boasted some of the highest Hours Watched numbers among all teams at the IEM Katowice 2023, but this solid support did not translate into good performances. The two teams were also part of three of the five most popular matches from the event in terms of PV, adding to the sense of dissatisfaction in their displays over the last week.
On the other end of the scale, unsurprisingly, Na’Vi and G2 Esports were consistently some of the most popular teams in terms of HW, AV, and popular matches by PV. That they have entered the latter stages bodes well for the event’s watching numbers and fans.
Heroic continued to make a mark with some scintillating displays that have made the squad a favorite to go all the way and add to its recent list of wins. Whatever the case, the Playoffs promise more action and excitement for fans, and it’s a great time to be a CS:GO fan.
Esports Charts will also take a more in-depth look at the event’s statistics once it concludes on February 12, so keep up to date with our news section.
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