ESL Pro League Season 18 Sees Increase in Viewership
The 18th season of the ESL Pro League, a long-standing Counter-Strike league, experienced a boost in viewership compared to previous seasons. According to Esports Charts, this recently-concluded event became the third most-watched edition of the Pro League, with a peak viewership of 567,000. With a prize pool of $850,000, the tournament took place in Malta.
Improved Metrics for Season 18
The latest season of the ESL Pro League showcased improvements in various metrics compared to previous editions. Throughout the 244 hours of airtime, the league amassed approximately 28 million hours watched. While the number of peak viewers increased, the average viewership declined to 114,000, a decrease from seasons 16 and 17 which averaged 161,000 and 138,000 respectively.
Factors Contributing to Increased Viewership
There were several factors that contributed to the rise in peak viewers for the ESL Pro League Season 18. The matches featuring popular teams such as MOUZ and NAVI attracted significant viewership and drove the overall metric forward. The Grand Final match between these two teams emerged as the most-watched of the season. Additionally, this victory marked MOUZ’s first win in a large LAN tournament since 2019 when they triumphed in ESL Pro League Season 10.
Transition to Counter-Strike 2
This edition of the ESL Pro League serves as the final event featuring CS:GO, as Counter-Strike 2 is expected to launch in late September. Consequently, all future editions of the ESL Pro League will showcase the new game, effectively retiring CS:GO from ESL events.
Most-Watched ESL Pro League Finals
This season had the third-highest viewership, with Season 12 and Season 14 surpassing it by a small margin. Notably, the top three most-watched ESL Pro League finals all highlighted the presence of the Ukrainian esports organization, NAVI.
Editor Notes
In conclusion, ESL Pro League Season 18 experienced a surge in viewership, making it one of the most-watched editions of the tournament. The increased interest can be attributed to popular teams, the final season of CS:GO in the league, and the strong presence of NAVI in previous seasons. As esports continues to grow in popularity, it is exciting to see the engagement and enthusiasm surrounding these events.
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