Ibai Llanos

Ibai Llanos Garatea (Spanish: [iˈβaj ˈʎanos ɡaɾaˈtea], born 26 March 1995), better known mononymously as Ibai, is a Spanish internet celebrity, streamer, and esports commentator. He was a content creator for G2 Esports from 2020 to 2021.[7] He is the co-founder of the esports organisation KOI.[8]

Ibai Llanos
Ibai in 2020
Personal information
Born
Ibai Llanos Garatea

(1995-03-26) 26 March 1995 (age 29)
Occupations
Twitch information
Channel
Years active2014–present
Followers15.5 million[1]
Associated acts
YouTube information
Channels
Genres
Subscribers937 thousand (CharlandoTranquilamente)[2]

98 thousand (IbaiTV)[3]

11.4 million (Ibai)[4]
(16 February 2024)
Total views107 million (CharlandoTranquilamente)[5]

7 million (IbaiTV)[6]

3.33 billion (Ibai)[4]
(16 February 2024)
100,000 subscribers2019
1,000,000 subscribers2020
10,000,000 subscribers2023

On the livestreaming platform Twitch, Ibai operates the third most-followed channel according to analytics company Social Blade.[1] On YouTube, he has more than 11 million subscribers on his main channel and a total of over three billion views.[9] In 2021, Forbes Spain named him the most influential social media influencer in Spain.[10]

Biography

Ibai was born in the Deusto district of Bilbao, Spain on 26 March 1995. Due to the 2008 financial crisis and economic instability at home, he sought distraction in videogames.[11]

In 2014, at the age of nineteen, he started commentating League of Legends esports matches. In August 2015, he became a commentator for the Spanish regional league LVP.[12][13]

In 2016, he moved from Bilbao to Barcelona to be able to work as an announcer.[14]

After broadcasting for the LVP, specifically for the Orange Super League, in February 2019 he started to present a late night show for the Ubeat network called "Hoy no se sale", currently presented by Bruno Feliu and Cristina López, also known as Kapo 013 and Cristinini respectively.[15][16][17]

In February 2020, Llanos quit commentating League of Legends, and left LVP to become an exclusive content creator for the G2 Esports team, along with Ander Cortés, Reven and Ernesto "BarbeQ" Folch.[18] [19]

In January 2021, he announced his departure from G2 and formed his own streaming brand along with previous collaborators, Cortés, Reven and BarbeQ, with the addition of Cristinini, Knekro, Werlyb and Illojuan.[20][21]

Llanos co-founded the esports team KOI alongside Gerard Piqué in December 2021, which is headquartered in Barcelona.[22] It initially competed in League of Legends, Valorant and Teamfight Tactics.[23]

In February 2021, Llanos launched an interview series called "Charlando tranquilamente" ("Calmly Chatting"). In his first program, he spoke with footballer Gerard Piqué. Following episodes featured footballers such as Andrés Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Paulo Dybala, Sergio Agüero and Sergio Ramos, and musical artists like Ed Sheeran, Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam, J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro, Jhayco, Duki, Aitana and Nicki Nicole.[24]

After finding amusement at a video clip showing two young people competing against each other in holding up a balloon from touching the ground, Llanos conceived the Balloon World Cup alongside Piqué, which took place on 14 October 2023.[25][26]

On 25 June 2022, Llanos set a new record for the most watched Twitch stream ever with more than 3.3 million viewers tuning into the Velada del Año 2 event, surpassing the record of 2.4 million viewers previously held by TheGrefg during a Fortnite outfit reveal.[27]

In October 2022, Llanos' organisation KOI announced a merger with Rogue, which would see all of Rogue's existing teams rebrand to KOI.[28] The partnership was dissolved after just one year in November 2023, after Rogue owner Infinite Reality had reportedly experienced financial issues. Both organisations kept ownership of the same teams they had held before the merger, with KOI retaining its teams in the Valorant Champions Tour, FIFAe Club Series, and LVP SuperLiga.[29][30]

In January 2024, KOI was acquired by MAD Lions and Toronto Defiant owner OverActive Media, in a combined merger that also included fellow Spanish organisation Movistar Riders. The LEC team renamed to MAD Lions KOI, with all former KOI and Movistar Riders teams rebranding as Movistar KOI. Llanos and Pique will own up to about 21% of OverActive Media as a result of the merger. Llanos also agreed on an unspecified "service agreement" with the company.[31][32]

Personal life

Llanos currently resides in Barcelona. He lives in a streaming house together with eight friends and various streamers.[33][34][35]

Llanos is friends with Argentine football player Sergio Agüero. He was invited by Agüero to Lionel Messi's much-publicised farewell dinner on 7 August 2021, and has since interviewed Messi at the player's presentation at Paris Saint-Germain and the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony.[36][37]

Filmography

Television

YearProgramChannelRole
2019-2020[38]Hoy no se sale[39]UbeatCo-Host
2021Lo de ÉvoleLaSextaGuest

Esports

YearVideogameEventRole
2014–2016League of LegendsLVP División de HonorAnnouncer
2015–2020League of LegendsEU LCSAnnouncer
2015–2020League of LegendsWorldsAnnouncer
2016–2017League of LegendsLVP Clasificatorio Challenger SeriesAnnouncer
2016League of LegendsAll-Star BarcelonaAnnouncer and presenter
2017–2020League of LegendsSuperliga OrangeAnnouncer
2018FortniteYouTube Battle Royale[40]Announcer
2018–2019League of LegendsIbainéfico[41][42]Organizer and Announcer
2019FIFA 20VOLTA Football[43]Voice actor
2020FIFA 20La Liga Santander Challenge[44]Organizer and Announcer
2020FIFA 21VOLTA FootballVoice actor

Traditional sports

DateEventChannel/Program-Context
18 March 2018Liga Santander: Barça vs Athletic de BilbaoOnda Vasca[45]
8 April 2018Liga Santander: Real Madrid vs Atlético de MadridEl Chiringuito[46]
25 November 2018ACB: Barça Lassa vs Real MadridLiga Endesa[47][48]
6 July 2019El partidazo de Youtubers: DjMariio vs TheGrefgYouTube[49]
3 October 2019Adidas: La batalla definitivaYouTube[50]
26 May 2021La velada del añoTwitch[51]
29 August 2021Ligue 1: Reims vs PSGTwitch[52]
19 September 2021Ligue 1: Olympique de Lyon vs PSGTwitch[53]
24 October 2021Liga Santander: Fútbol Club Barcelona vs Real MadridMovistar LaLiga[54]
25 June 2022La velada del año IITwitch[55]
2023–Kings LeagueTwitch[56]
1 July 2023La velada del año IIITwitch

Documentaries

DateNameChannel/Program
13 December 2018El lado más profundo de Ibai y AnderMovistar+[57]
27 February 2020Mi historiaYouTube / Domino's Originals[58]

Films

DateNameDirector
24 November 2020Unboxing Ibai[59]Jaume Balagueró

Other

DateEventChannel/Program-Context
14 October 20212021 Balloon World CupTwitch – Organized and hosted alongside Piqué inspired by the keep-up with a balloon game.[60][61]
27 October 20222022 Balloon World Cup
11 December 2022El Último en PieTwitch

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2015Trasgo de OroBest casterWon[62]
2016Won
2017Won
2018Won
2020Eliot AwardsEsportsNominated
Esports AwardsStreamer of the YearWon[63]
2021Won[64]
The Game AwardsContent Creator of the YearNominated[65]
ESLAND AwardsClip of the YearNominated[66][67]
Fail of the YearWon[68]
Dance of the YearNominated
Song of the YearWon
Event of the YearWon
Best Content SeriesNominated
Streamer of the YearWon
2022The Streamer AwardsLeague of Their OwnNominated[69]
Esports AwardsStreamer of the YearWon[70]
Premios IdoloBest EsportsNominated[71]
Best StreamerWon
Digital Creator of the YearNominated
2023ESLAND AwardsStreamer of the YearWon[72]
Event of the YearWon
Fail of the YearNominated
Anger of the YearNominated
Talk Show of the YearNominated
Premios CrackInternational PersonalityWon[73]
Nickelodeon Mexico Kids' Choice AwardsStreamer FavoriteNominated[74]
2023 MTV MIAW AwardsMIAW IconNominated[75] [76]
Global CreatorNominated
13th Streamy AwardsStreamer of the Year - InternationalWon[77]
Premios OndasBest Entertainment ProgramWon[78]
Esports AwardsStreamer of the YearNominated[79]
Corona de Oro AwardsBest BeefNominated[80]
Anger of the YearNominated
2024ESLAND AwardsStreamer of the YearNominated[81][82]
Event of the YearWon
Anger of the YearNominated

See also

References