IEM Cologne 2022: FaZe vs NAVI Becomes Most Watched Non-Major CS:GO Match
The two titans of competitive CS:GO set a new viewership milestone.
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The grand finals of IEM Cologne 2022 which took place on 17th July between Natus Vincere (NAVI) and FaZe Clan was one of the best five-game series ever played in the history of CS:GO.
This adrenaline-fueled thriller of a series attracted a peak of nearly 1.25 million concurrent viewers, making it the most watched non-major CS:GO match of all time, according to Esports Charts.
With this, IEM Cologne 2022 was able to set a new viewership benchmark, overtaking the previous record set at IEM Katowice 2022 during the grand finals between G2 Esports and FaZe Clan, which had a peak of 1.12 million concurrent viewers.
IEM Cologne 2022 grand finals between NAVI and FaZe Clan sets a new viewership record
With all the five maps being played during the series, consisting of 148 rounds in total, lasting for about eight hours, this grand final was a brutal test of patience and endurance.
FaZe Clan was narrowly able to triumph over NAVI, creating history by becoming the first CS:GO team ever to win Katowice, Cologne, and the Major in the same calendar year. NAVI reflected on its disappointing loss and promised to return stronger after the player break, promising to stop FaZe from claiming the Intel Grand Slam.
As two of the best CS:GO teams going up against each other, FaZe and NAVI were bound to pull in a large audience, further indulging their interest by showcasing a tight series which resulted in a peak of 1,249,426 concurrent viewers.
The tournament enjoyed an average of about 276,763 viewers every match following an air time of 93 hours 20 minutes, also resulting in 25.8 million hours watched.
IEM Cologne 2022 was able to overtake the previous non-major viewership record set by IEM Katowice earlier this year by a difference of just 127,411 concurrent viewers, which is an increment of about 11.35%.
Despite, IEM Cologne setting a new record this year its average viewership was still sluggish in comparison to that of IEM Katowice, reducing by 51,305 viewers per match which is a decrement of about 15.64%.
