In general, the most important LoL leagues have suffered a decrease in their audience. However, the LCS is the league most affected by the loss of viewership.
Decline in the audience of the most important LoL leagues
After the delay of the European League’s (LEC) conclusion, we know the statistics of the League of Legends audience. According to the figures, the state of the game is not at its best, especially in the North American league.
According to data published by the statistics website Esports Charts, the audience of LoL esports has suffered a general decline. It is important to note that the decrease in audience did not only occur during the Summer Split but throughout the year.
For example, the LEC recorded an average audience decline of 7% from last year’s Summer Split. 2023, the Summer Split had almost 80,000 fewer viewers than the 2022 Summer Split.
On the other hand, we have the LCK, which, although it also experienced a decline in viewership, was not as drastic as that of the LEC. In the LCK, the drop was around 5%. The grand finale between Gen.G and T1 gathered more than 200,000 viewers. However, it was not equal to the amount of viewers in past years. Many claim that the decline in LCK viewership may be related to Faker’s injury.
LCS is the most affected league
Now, the LoL league that has been hit the hardest is the LCS. Over five months, the North American league’s viewership dropped is 30%. The average number of viewers in the entire Split was approximately 76,000. This amount is insignificant if we compare these figures with the 2022 Spring or Summer Split in six figures.
On the other hand, it is important to note that the LCS Summer Split 2023 recorded the lowest viewership measurement in over six years of Esports Charts records.
Decline in LCS viewership
Following the release of the LCS viewership statistics, the LoL community has begun to speculate on the reason for the league’s decline in popularity. Many people claim that the change of schedule has been a determining factor. Recall that games went from being on weekends to being held in the early afternoon on weekdays. Riot Games decided to move the LCS during weekdays and hold VALORANT’s VCT Americas games on weekends.
This change was made this way since the LCS and VCT Americas share the same venue.
With the LoL World Championship just around the corner, we will see if the audience trend remains the same or improves. Remember that the Worlds will be held in South Korea and start on October 10.