The International 2024 recap — challenges and successes of the year’s key Dota 2 event
The International 2024, the premier Dota 2 tournament of the year, concluded in Copenhagen on September 15. While the tournament began with low viewership, it ultimately drew over 1.5 million concurrent viewers during the grand finals. This surge in viewership was significantly boosted by community casters from Southeast Asia, who broadcasted the event on Kick. Tagalog-language broadcasts set a record for the most viewers in Dota 2.
The International 2024 Results
Probably the biggest surprise of The International 2024 was the early elimination of Team Spirit. Despite a strong performance in the group stage, they were unexpectedly defeated by the American team nouns in a tiebreaker match for a spot in the upper bracket of the playoffs. This loss forced the two-time world champions into the lower bracket, where they faced an uphill battle with no margin for error. Although they secured a win against G2.IG, Team Spirit was ultimately eliminated by the Chinese team Xtreme Gaming, who defeated them 1:2. Consequently, Team Spirit finished in 9th-12th place, well below the expectations of bookmakers and analysts.
In contrast, the finals of The International 2024 featured an all-European clash between Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators. The grand final was a gripping series lasting around 3.5 hours, with Team Liquid emerging victorious with a commanding 3:0 score. With this victory, Team Liquid secured their second The International championship.
Winning The International 2024 awarded Team Liquid approximately $1.15 million in prize money. So far in 2024, Team Liquid has earned over $4.7 million, making them the 2nd top-earning organization in the industry this year after Team Falcons ($5.2 million).
The International 2024 Viewership Statistics
The International 2024 amassed over 55.1 million Hours Watched. The average viewership across streams was 469.6K, with a peak audience reaching 1.52 million. These figures don’t account for viewership on Chinese streaming platforms, which do not disclose their audience numbers. Viewership for The International 2024 started lower than previous editions but steadily increased as the event progressed.
The primary broadcast languages for The International 2024 were English, Russian, and Spanish, which together accounted for approximately 86% of the total HW. These languages are key in many esports tournaments, but in Dota 2, Asian languages such as Vietnamese, Thai, and Tagalog are becoming increasingly important.
Key viewership takeaways:
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Tagalog broadcasts have set a new record for peak viewership in the discipline, reaching approximately 77,200 Peak Viewers. This surpasses the previous record of 65,000 PV, which was set during the regional qualifiers for The International 2022.
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Thai-language broadcasts reached 40,800 Peak Viewers, narrowly trailing behind the main stage of TI 2022.
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The data indicates a notable rise in the popularity of Southeast Asian broadcasts compared to last year. Thai, Tagalog, Indonesian, and Vietnamese languages all saw increases in viewing hours and average viewership. In contrast, major languages like English, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese have experienced a decline in audience numbers.
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Kick generated approximately 1 million HW, six times more than last year. This surge is largely attributed to community casters who are former professional players, including Benjaz, Kuku, Armel, Gabbi, and others.
The most-watched match of The International 2024 was the grand final between Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators, which achieved a peak concurrent viewership of 1.52 million. Notably, only two matches during The International 2024 surpassed a million simultaneous viewers.
After Tundra Esports, which included Russian players Pure and Ramzes, was eliminated, viewership on Nix's channel saw a significant drop. During the grand finals, the number of viewers on the popular Russian community caster's channel fell by about 24%, nearly impacting the grand final's status as the tournament’s most-watched match.
Despite this decline, Nix achieved a personal best for peak viewership during the penultimate match. The series between Tundra and Gaimin Gladiators drew 322,700 concurrent viewers on his channel, surpassing his previous record of 246,200 set during The International 2023 final.
The finalists of The International 2024 were the most popular teams in terms of average viewership per match, and Tundra Esports ranked third in Average Viewers. Team Spirit made the top list as well, receiving substantial support from Russian community casters.
The International 2024 ranked sixth among esports tournaments in 2024 for total HW, despite having one of the lowest audience reach figures in the series' history. The average viewership declined by 13.2% compared to the previous year’s tournament, a key factor behind this was the reduced number of broadcasting channels. The most popular tournament to date remains The International 10, whose final attracted over 2.74 million Peak Viewers.
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