Veteran Dota 2 fans who may remember 2014’s “TI Hub” have been given a hit of nostalgia during the Road to The International this week, with OG legend Johan “N0tail” Sundstein hosting his own version of the casual coverage stream alongside the likes of Grubby, Gorgc, and pieliedie.
This hub stream, hosted on both Gorgc’s and OG’s Twitch channels, emerged as the ultimate way to keep up with TI 2023’s group stage. With four series happening simultaneously, the hub stream picked out their choice for which match seemed the most entertaining while providing top-tier insight.
Despite remotely working at TI 2023 as a talent member, Maurice “KheZu” Gutmann also appeared on this year’s hub broadcast. Fueled by a private chef delivering delicious cakes, appetizers, and a heavily critiqued burger by Grubby, the 2023 TI hub continues to cover the tournament throughout Phase Two of the Road to The International.
The setup and the camaraderie among the invitees brought back memories of the legendary 2014 TI Hub, where nearly all English-speaking casters and panelists gathered under one roof to cover TI’s qualifiers that year. From pro Dota analysis to party games and table tennis during the downtime, the hub just had it all.
In addition to valuable analyses of games, the 2023 hub captured viewers with old stories and lively discussions about medical “opinions.” Many fans preferred the hub stream over TI 2023’s official broadcast channels, especially during the group stage. At times, the hub stream boasted more viewers than the combined viewership of two to three group-stage channels.
However, as TI 2023 entered its second phase of the group stage, the tournament’s official channel began streaming only one game at a time. This ultimately has allowed Valve to catch up. At the time of writing, the main Twitch channel for TI had over 80,000 viewers, while the OG hub still maintains a 25,000-strong crowd.
The Road to the International concludes next week with the opening round of the playoff bracket before the final eight teams move to the Climate Pledge Arena to battle for the Aegis of Champions.
