After spending a full year with its controversial weekday schedule, the LCS is finally coming back home.
Riot Games announced today that the LCS is returning to its original broadcasting days of Saturday and Sunday in 2024 following sweeping feedback from the North American League of Legends community. The decision to move the league to Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday broadcast days last year was originally met with ire from a majority of fans. But now, supporters are getting what they’ve been clamoring for.
“After careful examination of our schedule and listening closely to community feedback, we are confident the 2024 LCS schedule will allow fans to follow their favorite sports and leagues during a schedule that works for them,” Americas’ League esports head Carlos Antunes said. “Fans can expect even more exciting updates on the schedule and formats in early January.”
Over the past year, the LCS has seen its overall viewership drop to shocking levels, with both its peak viewership and average viewer counts hitting its lowest margin over the last six seasons. If this trend continues into the new year, fans could see the league hit a record-low viewership count compared to its sister leagues in Europe, Korea, and China.
It also doesn’t help that the league has shrunk for 2024, with the stunning departure of Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians marking the first time NA will field an eight-team tournament. With multiple star players retiring or leaving, the league is desperate for some kind of pull for better numbers in the new year. As a result, the league has also made a massive decision in terms of leadership heading into the new year.
Alongside the return to weekends, the league announced popular content creator and shoutcaster Mark “MarkZ” Zimmerman has been named the new LCS commissioner. The 32-year-old has been a prominent face in the LCS for several years, with a significant role as a color commentator on the broadcast.
With a decade of experience within the competitive League ecosystem, MarkZ has experienced many different versions of the league throughout his career. This time, however, he is ready to learn as much as possible while trying to implement some of the big ideas he has for the league in his first year as the commish.
The 2024 LCS Spring Split will kick off on Jan. 20 and 21.
Published: Dec 12, 2023 12:22 pm