IEM Rio Major surpasses 1 million concurrent viewers in group stage

The Legends Stage of IEM Rio Major got underway on Saturday, with 16 teams now battling it out to be one of eight teams to secure a playoff berth and play in front of the sold-out Jeunesse Arena.

The Challengers Stage of the Valve-sponsored event in Brazil has already broken the record for the most-watched Challengers Stage in CS:GO Major history, and now the $1,250,000 tournament has recorded a concurrent viewership total of 1,058,029 people and an average count of 478,982.

Imperial‘s Challenger Stage clash versus Vitality currently leads the way as the most-watched matchup of the Major, pulling in 698,222 peak viewers according to analytical site, Esports Charts.

The five most-watched games of IEM Rio Major so far* are:

1. Imperial vs. Vitality – 698,222 viewers
2. FURIA vs. BIG – 658,398 viewers
3. Imperial vs. Cloud9 – 627,424 viewers
4. 00NATION vs. IHC – 605,487 viewers
5. FURIA vs. OG – 593,819 viewers

* Note: This list does not include matches from the first day of the Legends Stage, with ESCharts usually providing an updated breakdown at the end of the day

The PGL Stockholm Major in November 2021 currently holds the title as the most-watched event in CS:GO history, with the $2,000,000 event in 2021 peaking at a mind-boggling 2,748,434 peak viewers in the grand final.

For context, ESL One Belo Horizonte 2018 only pulled in a fraction of the numbers (97,448) while the last Big Event before the start of the Major, ESL Pro League Season 16, only had a peak viewership of 509,732.

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IEM Rio Major breaks Challengers Stage viewership records

The IEM Rio Major also became the second Major in history to offer up a venue for every stage of the event. The Challengers and Legends Stage are held in the Riocentro, with play making its way to the Jeunesse Arena for the Champions Stage.

The Legends Stage of the IEM Rio Major continues shortly with the following matchups:

1-0 pool

0-1 pool