What BLAST Premier does

BLAST Premier is a private esports entertainment company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, operating under the legal entity BLAST ApS. Founded in 2016, the company is a leading Counter-Strike 2 tournament organizer, running both its own branded tournament series (BLAST Premier, BLAST Premier Bounty, BLAST Premier Open) and co-organizing Valve-sanctioned IEM Majors alongside ESL FACEIT Group, including the upcoming IEM Cologne Major 2026 and IEM Atlanta 2026.

The company's core product surface is the BLAST.tv platform, which serves as the primary digital hub for CS2 esports, providing live tournament coverage, match schedules, official Valve rankings, editorial news, and ticket purchasing. Built on top of this content layer is a portfolio of interactive engagement products — CS2 Fantasy, Counter-Strikle (a Wordle-style daily trivia game), Higher Lower (a skin value prediction game), and CS Guessr (a geographic guessing game) — designed to drive repeat visits beyond live broadcast windows. The platform operates globally, with tournaments and events hosted across Europe, North America, and Asia.

BLAST Premier monetizes through three primary streams: tournament operations (ticketing, sponsorship, and prize pool support for events like the BLAST Premier series and IEM Majors), media rights and content distribution via BLAST.tv, and direct ticket sales for live event attendance. Its customers span two sides of the market — enterprise-grade professional CS2 teams (G2, Vitality, NaVi, Team Liquid, FURIA, Astralis, MOUZ, and others) competing for ranking points and prize money, and a global fan/viewer base consuming live coverage, rankings, fantasy games, and editorial content. The company has secured a strategic partnership with the Esports World Cup and has raised approximately $15.8M in disclosed funding as of 2020, led by Vaekstfonden with participation from Creandum, Heartcore Capital, Maki.vc, and VF Venture.

Name

BLAST Premier

Legal name

BLAST ApS

Website

https://blastpremier.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BLAST Premier is a Copenhagen-based private esports tournament organizer specializing in Counter-Strike 2, running BLAST-branded tournaments and co-organizing Valve-sanctioned IEM Majors across Europe, North America, and Asia. It serves professional CS2 teams and global fans via its BLAST.tv platform, which combines live tournament coverage, official Valve rankings, fantasy games, and interactive fan engagement products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Esports Tournament Organization

NAICS

Spectator Sports (7112), Spectator Sports (71121), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Esports Leagues & Circuits (MPAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Third-Party Tournament Organizers (TOs) (MPAKANAB), Major Championship Events & World Finals (MPAKANAE)

Keywords

• Esports tournament organization
• Counter-strike competitions
• Live event broadcasting
• Esports media platform
• Esports event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tournament Operations: Organizing and operating premium Counter-Strike 2 esports tournaments including Majors and BLAST Premier series events, generating revenue through ticket sales, media rights, and sponsorships.
2. Media Rights and Content: Distribution of live tournament coverage and esports content through blast.tv platform and associated media channels.
3. Event Tickets: Direct ticket sales for live esports tournament attendance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BLAST Premier organizes and operates professional Counter-Strike 2 esports tournaments, including its own BLAST Premier tournament series and co-organized Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Majors such as IEM Cologne Major 2026. The company delivers live tournament coverage, match schedules, official Valve rankings, and news content through the BLAST.tv digital platform, complemented by interactive fan engagement products including CS2 Fantasy, Counter-Strikle, Higher Lower, and CS Guessr. Revenue is generated through sponsorships, media rights, and ticket sales for live event attendance.

Product overview

BLAST Premier operates a platform-plus-games architecture centered on the BLAST.tv/CS hub, which delivers live tournament coverage, match schedules, and official Valve rankings for Counter-Strike 2 esports. The core platform is complemented by BLAST's own branded tournament series (BLAST Tournaments) and Valve-sanctioned IEM Majors. Supporting the core content are several gamified mini-apps including CS2 Fantasy (fantasy sports management), Counter-Strikle (Wordle-style trivia), Higher Lower (skin value prediction), and CS Guessr (geographic guessing game). Together, these products serve the Counter-Strike esports community with competitive coverage, rankings, interactive entertainment, and fantasy engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BLAST.tv Platform BLAST's primary Counter-Strike 2 digital hub providing live tournament coverage, match schedules, team and player news, and official Valve rankings for top teams and players globally. The platform aggregates competitive CS2 events including BLAST tournaments and Valve-sanctioned Majors.
• BLAST Premier Tournament Series BLAST's own branded competitive Counter-Strike 2 tournament circuit, including events such as BLAST Premier Bounty and BLAST Premier Open, hosting elite professional teams globally with regional stops across Europe, North America, and Asia.
• Intel Extreme Masters Majors Valve-sanctioned premier Counter-Strike 2 Major championships, co-organized by BLAST and ESL, representing the highest tier of competitive Counter-Strike events (e.g., IEM Cologne Major 2026, IEM Atlanta 2026). These Majors qualify teams for the official Valve world championship pathway.
• Live Event Tickets Direct ticket sales for in-person attendance at BLAST Premier and IEM Major tournaments held globally, providing fans with access to live esports events and premium viewing experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Market position as leading esports tournament organizer alongside ESL FACEIT Group and Tencent Holdings

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Esports World CupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025BLAST Premier hosts CS2 tournaments under the Esports World Cup umbrella, including Esports World Cup 2026 CS2 scheduled for August 12-23, 2026. This represents a significant partnership for BLAST Premier's tournament calendar.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• ESL FACEIT Group: Direct competitor operating the ESL Pro Tour and co-organizing IEM Majors with BLAST. The two are simultaneous partners (Major co-hosts) and competitors across the broader CS2 tournament calendar, making them the most structurally comparable peer.
• PGL: Bucharest-based esports tournament organizer known for running CS2 Majors (e.g., PGL Major Stockholm, PGL Major Antwerp) and other CS2 events such as PGL Astana, making it a directly comparable third-party tournament organizer.
• StarLadder: Ukrainian-headquartered esports tournament organizer with deep CS:GO/CS2 Major history (StarLadder Berlin Major 2019). Operates in the same third-party tournament organizer category as BLAST.
• FACEIT: Competitive matchmaking and tournament platform with deep CS2 roots, now under ESL FACEIT Group. Comparable as a CS2 community/tournament infrastructure layer feeding the pro circuit where BLAST operates.

Regional players

• Perfect World: Chinese publisher and tournament organizer that has operated CS:GO/CS2 Majors in Asia (Perfect World Shanghai Major). Comparable as a TO with publisher backing, but primarily focused on the Chinese market.

Broad incumbents

• Riot Games: Publisher of League of Legends and VALORANT and operator of publisher-run global esports circuits. Comparable as a leading esports league/tournament operator, though focused on its owned titles rather than third-party CS2 organization.
• Tencent Holdings: Identified alongside BLAST and ESL as a leading esports tournament organizer through its stakes in Riot Games, Supercell, and other esports properties. Comparable as a top-tier incumbent across the broader esports tournament ecosystem.

Emerging players

• WePlay Holding: Ukrainian-rooted esports tournament and media company that produced CS:GO Majors (WePlay! Forge of Legends). Operates in the same tournament organizer and broadcast-production category as BLAST.

Others

• Esports World Cup Foundation: Operator of the Saudi-backed Esports World Cup multi-game tournament series in which BLAST Premier hosts the CS2 event. Comparable as an organizer/promoter of large-scale esports competitions, though acting here as BLAST's strategic partner rather than direct competitor.
• BLAST (UK events operator, formerly ECB): Note: BLAST Premier's parent brand BLAST also runs non-CS2 entertainment events (BLAST Premier Spring/Fall Final concert-style shows). Related ecosystem player but secondary to its CS2 TO operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BLASTPremier

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BLAST Premier