The 2020 LCS Spring Split was a big season for North America in both results and viewership counts, especially when compared to the last split. In fact, the most-viewed match of the regular season came in the first week of the season with TSM’s matchup against Immortals.
This showdown garnered a peak viewership of just over 387,000 people on Sunday, Jan. 26 and was the league’s first look at TSM’s revamped roster. No matter how disappointing TSM’s finishes have been over the past two years, they’re still one of the most popular teams in the league—and it showed.
TSM vs. Immortals beat out almost every match and series from the 2019 LCS Summer Split, including the playoffs. The only match that was able to get a higher peak viewer count last summer was the finals between Cloud9 and Team Liquid, which reached a peak of 394,000 viewers.
Riot also tried out a new schedule and broadcast format for the LCS this split with the addition of Monday Night League. The marquee show was supposed to feature two of the most interesting or important matches of the week, but the extra day ended up flopping heavily with the NA viewer base.
TSM vs. Liquid, for example, was the featured matchup for the first edition of MNL. But the broadcast was only able to garner around half of the peak viewership of TSM’s match against Immortals the day before. It was a worrying trend that never improved as the season went on and Monday nights produced the lowest viewership numbers the LCS has ever seen.
Based on how this season has trended, however, the playoffs should bring in some strong numbers for the North American scene. The entire postseason is being streamed online due to the coronavirus, but that shouldn’t stop the LCS from putting on a great show for the thousands of NA fans around the world.
