Following an incredible League of Legends series between Europe’s G2 Esports and South Korea’s SK Telecom T1 last weekend, Worlds 2019 saw a whopping 98 percent increase in its semifinal concurrent viewers compared to last year’s semifinals CCV peak, according to Esports Charts.
On Nov. 3, League fans witnessed one of the best series in the game’s history. Two of the top teams in the world squared off in what people were calling the true finals of the tournament. And G2 were victorious in the end.
This G2 vs. SKT series pulled in an average CCV of 1,857,247, which is an increase of over 900,000 concurrent viewers compared to last year’s semifinal matchup between Fnatic and Cloud9. The semifinals’ peak viewers increased by an astonishing 145 percent as well.
Although last year’s semifinal matchup was exciting—it featured the always-popular rivalry of EU vs. NA—this year’s showdown was the most-anticipated series of the tournament. G2 are the best squad to ever come out of the West and SKT are the greatest team in League history. Both teams were powerhouses in their own right and they each held the hopes of their respective regions in their hands.
Combine that with Worlds being held in Europe this year and it makes sense why the viewership numbers skyrocketed. But it’s unclear if the finals will pull in the same numbers. The matchup between G2 and China’s FunPlus Phoenix isn’t as highly-anticipated, but Europe should be coming out in force to help support its champions.
G2 will take on FunPlus Phoenix in the Worlds finals at 6am CT on Sunday, Nov. 10.
