PGL Major Stockholm has joined the list of the five most-watched Counter-Strike: Global Offensive events ever, hitting over one million viewers for a quarterfinals match between Heroic and Virtus.pro.
Many factors contributed to PGL Major Stockholm being one of the most significant events in the history of CSGO. While the major was expected to be a massive success, the event is already smashing expectations in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. viewership numbers crossed the million mark, coming closer to ELEAGUE Major 2017, the highest event ever watched with 1,331,781 peak spectators.
According to Esports Charts, 1,010,611 players tuned in to watch the opening game of the champions stage between Heroic and Virtus pro. The match maintained an average viewership of 498,268, eventually crossing the one million mark.
The playoffs stage was kicked off at the Avicii Arena with Heroic beating Virtus pro. in a nail-biting competition. The Danes easily wiped out the CIS squad in the first map, but Virtus.pro put on a show on the second map, Ancient, to force a decider on Inferno. However, Heroic looked too strong on the third map, sending the Dzhami “Jame” Ali-led roster home from Stockholm.
The PGL Major games started on a high note, with 667,000 watching the challenger’s matches on day one. According to Esports Charts, no other major hit such high numbers on the first day of play. The highest in the past was ELEAGUE Boston, where 526,000 spectators tuned in on the first day.
The Challengers Stage on its own was almost enough to establish the PGL Stockholm Major as one of the top 10 most-watched CSGO tournaments ever. It managed to break into the top five during the Champions Stage playoffs.
The back-and-forth match between the two teams made for the perfect opening playoffs match. It also benefitted from mobilizing the massive Scandinavian and CIS fanbases.
The second game between NiP and G2 Esports failed hit that level, but these numbers are expected to go up. Considering the rising figures, PGL Major Stockholm is on pace to become the most-watched tournament in the event history of CSGO. The final event on November 8 is expected to boast high numbers and set new records for counter-strike viewership.
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