PGL esports and IMG renew longstanding partnership

Independent esports company PGL has renewed its longstanding partnership with IMG through to the end of 2025. IMG will continue to serve as PGL’s exclusive partner for media, sponsorship and data rights for the esports company’s entire 2023-2025 events portfolio, which includes the Copenhagen CS2 Major. This will be the first Valve-sanctioned event for the new title, Counter-Strike 2.

Currently, PGL is running the Western Europe and North America rounds of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), the official tournament format of the video game Dota 2. With 50.2 million total views and a peak audience of 195,000 so far, DPC is one of the world’s most prestigious and popular esports tournaments.

The new agreement builds on the success of IMG’s previous media and sponsorship collaborations with PGL, including the CS:GO Major Championship 2022 in Antwerp, which recorded a peak viewership of 2.1 million and broke the record for the biggest attendance of any indoor esports event, with over 20,000 attendees for the final.

Silviu Stroie, PGL Esports CEO, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with IMG. Over the last few years, we have come together to propel esports to new horizons, setting the benchmark for rights and sponsorship growth in the industry. We are excited to drive this partnership forward and add greater value to all our partners and events.”

Joe Jenkins, commercial manager, esports, IMG Media, added: “PGL has established itself as a frontrunner in esports production, producing some of the most sought-after tournaments on the calendar. The last few years have witnessed a rapid rise in the popularity and commercial viability of competitive CSGO and Dota2 events, and we look forward to helping PGL capitalise on the vast potential of its impressive event portfolio.”

The PGL CS2 Major, Copenhagen, will take place from 17-31 March 2024 at the Royal Arena, in front of a 14,000-strong crowd. Twenty-four of the world’s best CS2 teams will battle it out for their share of the $1.25 million prize pool. Teams will qualify through a series of Regional Major Ranking events hosted by PGL from 17 February-3 March 2024.