Intel® Extreme Masters Sydney Sets New Record For Australian Esports Viewership

The most watched tournament in Australian esports history

Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Sydney, Australia’s biggest esports tournament, is now in the history books, with Team Liquid winning the tournament and taking home the lion’s share of US$250,000 in front of a packed Qudos Bank Arena. In an intense final lasting five maps, Team Liquid took the win over Fnatic to secure themselves a spot in esports history as champions at the tournament’s third stop in Sydney, and 75th stop globally since its inception in 2006.

This year’s event, held across 3-5 May , surpassed all previous viewership records for an esports tournament held in Australia, with over 20 million viewers tuning in across the duration of the event. Counter-Strike fans across the world watched almost 10 million hours of content over the course of the event, up 16% vs. 2018.

On social media, users made over 36,000 tweets related to IEM Sydney 2019, while content surrounding the tournament was viewed over 55 million times across all platforms.

“IEM Sydney is a truly world-class event, and seeing our broadcast reach over 20 million people around the world is a testament to the quality of the tournament.” said Nick Vanzetti, MD & Senior Vice President of ESL APJ. “Between those who watched online and the 7,500 fans who attended each day of the main event, there is a growing appetite in Australia for the highest level of Counter-Strike.”

“We owe the continued success of Intel Extreme Masters Sydney to the esports community in Australia and around the world, which continues to grow at an incredible pace,” said John Bonini, Vice President and General Manager of VR, Gaming and Esports at Intel. “This community is why Intel keeps fueling this growth with more esports, more great content for PC gamers and more innovation when it comes to performance and power.”

IEM Expo
Attendees at the event were able to immerse themselves in the latest PC gaming technology and titles. The Intel® Showcase featured the latest 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 and Intel® Core™ i9 processors for gaming and VR. Attendees also had the chance to purchase the latest pc gaming products from Intel partners and engage in competitive gaming on Intel’s leading gaming technology, including the Intel® Hades Canyon NUC at the Intel® Channel Pavilion.

Intel® Extreme Masters Sydney 2019 is presented by ESL in collaboration with TEG Live and held at TEG’s flagship venue, Qudos Bank Arena.

ESL is the world’s largest esports company. Founded in 2000, ESL has been shaping the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international leagues and tournaments such as ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL Pro League and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as ESL National Championships, grassroots amateur cups and matchmaking systems, defining the path from zero to hero as short as possible. With offices all over the world, ESL is leading esports forward on a global scale. ESL is a part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group.

TEG Live is wholly owned by TEG, Asia Pacific’s leading ticketing, live entertainment and data analytics company. TEG Live is a dynamic and diverse promoter of live content in music, sport, family entertainment, esports and exhibitions. TEG Live connects millions of fans every year with unique live experiences and adds value to events with hospitality and sponsorship services.

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