The Riyadh Masters 2024, a Dota 2 tournament part of the Esports World Cup series, wrapped up in Saudi Arabia. According to Esports Charts, it was the most-watched Dota 2 tournament of 2024, despite not reaching the highest peak concurrent viewership.
The tournament featured multiple stages, with weaker teams being eliminated over time. By the playoffs, no teams from North or South America remained. The majority of teams from China and Southeast Asia were also out, while all top European teams advanced.
A key moment was the early elimination of Team Spirit, the previous year's champions, who lost to Team Liquid and then to PSG Quest. China's top team, WBG.XG, also had a tough run, exiting early after facing BetBoom Team, one of their strongest opponents. Both teams finished in 7th-8th place, despite high expectations.
The grand final saw Gaimin Gladiators once again defeating Team Liquid, continuing their streak of victories in major tournaments. Gaimin Gladiators secured $1.5 million and 1000 ranking points for the EWC Club Championship.
Riyadh Masters 2024 Viewership Statistics
The event generated over 26.3 million Hours Watched, the highest for any Dota tournament this year. The average viewership per broadcast was 178,400, also a peak for 2024.
The grand final reached 417,200 peak viewers, slightly less than the PGL Wallachia Season 1, which had 487,400. The Riyadh Masters 2024 could have seen higher numbers if Eastern European teams had performed better, as they are popular among Russian-speaking viewers. Notably, Team Spirit had the highest average viewership among all participants.
This year, the Riyadh Masters saw a decrease in audience reach compared to the previous year, with average viewership dropping by 11% and peak viewership by 29%. The decline was mostly due to a drop in English-language viewership, which fell from 37.8% to 31.7%, with a 26% decrease in average and a 40.5% decrease in peak viewership on English streams. Interestingly, community casters maintained last year's performance levels.
Comparing Riyadh Masters Dota 2 Tournaments
Spanish-language broadcasts also saw a decline, mainly because of the early exit of all South American teams. In contrast, Russian-language broadcasts experienced a slight increase, with the share of Russian viewers rising from 42.8% to 51.5%. Popular community casters contributed to this growth. The overlap with other tournaments, particularly the Esports World Cup 2024 for Counter-Strike, also split the viewership, affecting peak numbers during the decisive map of the Riyadh Masters final.
The Riyadh Masters 2024 ranked as the fifth most popular tournament in the Esports World Cup 2024 series, behind events for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and Free Fire, in terms of peak viewership.
Despite having the largest prize pool of any tournament in the Esports World Cup series, at $5 million, the esports festival continues, with champions of other tournaments to be announced on August 25. You can track all tournaments' progress on Esports Charts.