The end of the year is quickly approaching, and as North American League of Legends fans look back at 2019, there are plenty of things to celebrate. The LCS welcomed in several new partners, had great viewership numbers, and was even one of the most popular major pro sports league among young adults in the U.S., according to Riot Games’ 2019 LCS year in review post.
Riot said that the LCS was the “third most popular major professional sports league in the U.S. among 18 to 34-year-olds based on live average minute audience (AMA),” according to data compiled by Nielsen. No information was provided about what sports were ahead or behind the LCS in 2019, however.
Over 53,000 fans watched live League stateside over the course of the year, whether it was at the LCS Studios in Los Angeles or in Detroit and St. Louis for the season finals. In fact, the LCS helped boost Detroit’s local economy by a whopping $5.44 million.
The 2019 LCS Spring Finals had some impressive numbers as well with 609,000 peak concurrent viewers and an average concurrent viewer count of 433,000 fans watching TSM face off against Team Liquid for the LCS championship. In comparison, the 2019 LEC Spring Finals had a peak viewership count of 477,666.
In 2019, the LCS introduced 12 partners to the league, including Alienware, Honda, Mastercard, Panasonic, Rocket Mortgage, and State Farm. Additionally, almost all of the league’s partners signed on with multi-year or returning deals.
There are plenty of things for NA League fans to be excited about heading into 2020, too. New teams and players have entered the region, which promises to bring plenty of motivation for the rest of the competition to perform.
The 2020 LCS Spring Split will begin on Jan. 25.
