Riyadh Masters 2024: Unparalleled Dota 2 excitement with record-breaking viewership

Riyadh Masters 2024 became one of Dota 2's top tournaments

The Riyadh Masters 2024, the third edition of the annual Dota 2 tournament in Saudi Arabia, is a standout event in the esports calendar. Starting on July 4 with the Play-In stage, the tournament progressed to the Group Stage on July 10. 

 With a $5,000,000 prize pool, the highest of any 2024 Dota 2 tournament, top global teams have converged in Riyadh, part of the Esports World Cup. The 2024 event features extended Play-In and Group Stages, allowing more comprehensive match coverage. This format led to 1.89 million hours watched on the first Group Stage day, despite a 12.9% drop from last year due to shorter match durations. 

Key matches included Team Spirit's game against Team Falcons, reaching 222.4K Peak Viewers and contributing to a 37.7% increase in peak viewership. Russian and English remain dominant languages, but Tagalog has surged, driven by the performance of Filipino team Blacklist International. 

The Play-In stage saw a 40.8% increase in watch time, though average concurrent viewership fell by 18.2%. Russian viewership grew by 28.3%, with Tagalog surpassing Spanish in popularity. The Riyadh Masters 2024 is poised to become one of the most watched Dota 2 events of the year.