Aurora Gaming continues fine run with Skyesports Masters 2024 victory

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The Skyesports Masters 2024 was held as an online affair from April 8 to 14 between some of the most prominent teams in Europe today. It was Skyesports’ most successful Counter-Strike event ever and saw Aurora Gaming maintain its recent excellent run, one that started with the addition of r3salt to its roster and brain getting promoted to the position of coach earlier this month.

Aurora beat OG 3:1 in the Grand Final to emerge as the champion and take home $105,000. The total prize pool was $350,000, with the runner-up pocketing $70,000 and the third-placed side earning $52,500 for its troubles.

  Essential stats and most popular matches from the Skyesports Masters 2024   

The Skyesports Masters 2024 hit 41.8K Peak Viewers during the Day 3 clash between ENCE and OG. Their Lower Bracket Round 1 clash was edged by the latter 2:1, with all three maps seeing both sides reach double figures for rounds won.

Finland's best-known and most successful esports brand tends to attract a healthy following wherever it plays, as seen in the fact that it was also part of the second-most popular game, against Russian side FORZE. Interestingly, the summit clash was only the third most popular game, with the lack of ENCE playing a part in European audiences turning away from the action post its Lower Bracket Round 1 departure.

Despite its early exit, with the likes of BetBoom Team and BIG also in action, the competition reached 339K Hours Watched and 9.9K Average Viewers over an airtime of 34 hours. There was also a wide gulf between the two most popular teams at this CS2 tournament, with the number one name doing 79.5% better in terms of average viewership.

The absence of Team Liquid definitely affected how many viewers this event could have reached, with the American team deciding instead to focus on the bigger Counter-Strike competition happening simultaneously, the IEM Chengdu 2024. As one of the more followed sides in the scene, it would have attracted at least 25K average online viewers, putting it near the peak on this leaderboard.

Looking at the sole Indian team to participate in this tournament — organized by an Indian company — Gods Reign gave a good account of itself in one of its few chances to play sides from the upper echelons of the game’s competitive scene. Their participation also attracted a few thousand Hindi viewers, no doubt playing a part in its improved figures compared to anything seen previously in the series.

It has to be reiterated how good the last few weeks have been for Aurora Gaming. After r3salt joined on April 2, they qualified for the BetBoom Dacha Belgrade and ESL Challenger Jönköping, and the win here has helped it qualify for the Skyesports Championship 2024. This event will take place in India from July 4 to 7 and carry a prize pool of $150,000.

  Most popular CS2 tournaments so far in the Skyesports series   

Looking at CS2 events in the Skyesports series, it is clear that the Skyesports Masters 2024 is the most successful. In fact, it is the only entry on this table to cross the 10K PV mark, showing just how much the organizers have put in to make it a success this year. What helped this Counter-Strike competition generate extra viewership was the interest shown in it by some prominent streames like Izakooo and 97zoner. 

Counter-Strike continues to be well-followed and attracts millions despite initial concerns about the new game's suitability for competitive action. With most of its events this year ranging from decent to record-setting, there's lots to look forward to over the next eight months.