How PGL used influencer co-streams to supercharge esports viewership

Last month, the esports company PGL enlisted gaming influencers to co-stream a “Counter-Strike” tournament — and more than doubled the event’s viewership as a result. The move shows how influencer co-streams could help rejuvenate fans’ interest in an increasingly beleaguered esports industry.

Based in Bucharest, Romania, PGL has operated esports tournaments since 2002, largely within the “Counter-Strike” scene. For its latest event, a March 2024 “Counter-Strike” major in Copenhagen, the company endorsed over a dozen official watch parties hosted by gaming livestreamers such as Felix “xQc” Lengyel and Jaryd “summit1g” Lazar. The event also boasted sponsorships from brands including Secretlab, 1xBet and Displate.

“Unlike how Riot Games has done an incredible job of curating a watch party co-streaming ecosystem that contributes enormous value from players and streamers back to Riot, no one had been doing this in ‘Counter-Strike,’” said Rod “Slasher” Breslau, an esports consultant who organized the co-streaming initiative for PGL. “Not any of the major tournament operators, including and especially ESL/FACEIT Group, had been doing any outreach at all to the biggest streamers.”

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