Cloud9 and TSM played a roller coaster of a series this past weekend, where the two legendary North American League of Legends teams battled for the final LCS spot in the 2021 World Championship. A classic clash of titans ensued and just over 309,000 viewers tuned in at its peak, according to Esports Charts.
As the El Clásico of the LCS, this matchup didn’t disappoint as the two teams took their first steps onto Summoner’s Rift. C9 eventually won the showdown 3-2.
This series also eclipsed the previous viewership record for the 2021 LCS Summer Split by a good margin, with C9’s week one match against Team Liquid sitting at a peak of 262,000. Surprisingly, the third-highest peak viewership came from FlyQuest’s week one match against Evil Geniuses, which had a peak viewership of 256,000.
When compared to other major regions, however, the LCS has a much lower peak viewership. In Europe, for example, Fnatic’s electric five-game series against G2 Esports this weekend garnered a whopping 843,000 viewers at its peak. And in the LCK, T1’s semifinal series against Gen.G had a massive peak viewership of 906,901 spectators.
The huge difference in viewership can also be attributed to the time that the LCS is broadcast at compared to the other leagues. The LEC is live at a decent time for North American fans to tune in and watch, but the LCS broadcast is only on at late hours for European fans. This could cut heavily into the numbers for NA since League fans across the pond might not want to stay up as late, especially if they just watched their own region compete.
Luckily, there are still a few more exciting matches to go in the LCS Championship, which could help NA catch up with the other regions in viewership. First, C9 will face off against 100 Thieves to decide which team will be taking on Liquid in the finals. The LCS Worlds representatives have all been locked in, so now the only thing left at stake is the LCS trophy.
You can watch all the action when the LCS Championship returns on Saturday, Aug. 28.
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Published: Aug 23, 2021 09:51 am