CBLOL has surpassed the LCS regarding viewership for the 2023 Spring Split, according to stats aggregation site Esports Charts. While the LCS had a peak viewership of 271,376 and averaged around 109,000 viewers per game, CBLOL hit a peak viewership of 276,078 and averaged just over 111,000 across the league’s Spring campaign.
Although this may be shocking to some North American fans, it’s not surprising to others. At the end of 2022, Riot Games announced LCS games would be held during the week, with the broadcasts starting around 12 pm PT.
The new broadcasting dates and times made it almost impossible for LCS fans to watch their favorite NA teams battle it out on the Rift, with many stating it was a ‘stupid’ decision. On top of the new broadcasting times creating issues, others have suggested the LCS simply doesn’t have the fan base it used to, which is why it’s slowly dying.
Even though the LCS viewership was already in decline before these changes, it’s fair to say League isn’t as popular as it once was in North America. And if something doesn’t change, this doesn’t bode well for the future of the LCS.
While it’s been tough viewership-wise in NA, other regions have thrived.
In China, the LPL raked in 200,576 viewers during its peak, and unsurprisingly, Korea’s star-studded LCK season dominated in terms of viewership, with their peak reaching just under 1.5 million viewers during their 2023 Spring Split, which some chalk up to Korea having a deeper esports culture than most regions.
And, of course, Brazil’s premier league is clearly on the up-and-up and continues to hit new viewership metrics as the CBLOL strengths its South American fandom.
Published: Apr 17, 2023 01:34 am