IEM Season IX World Championship 2015: Live Stream and StarCraft II Prize Money

The best StarCraft 2 teams in the world will converge on the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland beginning March 12 for the Intel Extreme Masters Season IX World Championships. The event will culminate on Sunday, March 15.

The series which began in July 2014 is ready to come to a close. An ultimate champion will be crowned after fierce virtual battles have been waged over the past eight months.

Per ESL Gaming, there is $610,000 in prize money at stake for the 16 teams competing in the event. As usual, if you can't make it to Katowice to watch the event in person, there are live stream viewing options.

There's quite a few Twitch channels across the globe that will be streaming some portion of the event. You can see all of the options here. ESL Gaming has their own live stream channel which you can follow real time on the days of the event here.

You can also see the most updated brackets by clicking here.

The stream coverage will be handled by a team of ex-players and experts in the eSports world. Here's a rundown of the talent lineup, per Intel Extreme Masters.

• "Host: Paul "ReDeYe" Chaloner"

• "Commentator: Shaun "Apollo" Clark"

• "Commentator: James " Kaelaris" Carrol"

• "Commentator: Leigh "Maynarde" Mandalov"

• "Commentator: Yoan "ToD" Merlo"

• "Analyst: Dan "Frodan" Chou"

• "Analyst: Geoff "INcontrol" Robinson"

• "Analyst: Kevin "Rotterdam" van der Kooi"

• "Analyst: Jens "Snute" Aasgaard"

• "Observer: Alexandre "FunKa" Verrier"

• "Korean Translator: Susie "LilSusie" Kim"

The event lasts a whopping four days. The time will be filled with StarCraft 2 goodness and pulse-pounding competition. There needs to be a team of stature in place to call such a big event.

The beloved Apollo has gained popularity since he broadcasted IEM Season V in Cologne. He will be joined by the capable Kaelaris, Maynarde and ToD. All are familiar and respected voices within the game's community. There should be no disconnect between them and the hardcore followers of the game.

In between matches and rounds, Frodan, INcontrol, Rotterdam and Snute will deliver match breakdowns and such from the analysis desk.

The host ReDeYe is in charge of emceeing the festivities. He cut his teeth as a shoutcaster for Quake and Counterstrike, but has also made a name for himself in the SC2 world.

The ever-popular Korean translator LilSusie will be there to relay the most pertinent information. South Korea is still the region of the world with the most SC2 players. Thus LilSusie's role on the team is vital.

Last but not least is the man in the observer role for the event. It is none other than France's FunKa. Some who aren't exactly well acquainted with the entire SC2 culture may not see the importance of the observer role. In the video below, the man himself explains the purpose and what makes a good observer.

The stage is set. It's about time to start gaming.

Follow Brian Mazique aka FranchisePlay, the Sports Video Game Journalist