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International Dota 2 Championships Rack Up Over 2 Million Concurrent Viewers, Doubling 2013 Performance
If you had any doubt that eSports viewership is on the rise, you can put them to rest. Valve announced that this year’s International Dota 2 championships doubled the number of concurrent viewers over 2013’s event.
The event, which ran throughout July culminating in a championship weekend from the 18th through the 21st, brought in 20 million unique viewers. The prize pool of nearly $11 million was a big jump from last year’s $2.8 million.
Valve’s cash awards are supplemented by player purchases through the “Compendium,” a living event program that offers awards to buyers. You can read up more about the prize pool in our post-event breakdown.
Our Take
The growth rate over the past year is immense, and with ESPN reportedly happy with the television broadcast, things are changing for eSports. We can expect more mainstream coverage and greater television presence with The International rolls around in 2015.
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