The LCS Struggles with Low Viewership Numbers in Spring 2022
According to Esports Charts, the LCS has an average viewership of just over 114,000 spectators. This falls behind the LEC, LCK, and CBLOL, who all have higher average viewership numbers. The LEC currently leads with 266,000 average viewers, followed by the LCK with 235,000, and the CBLOL with over 136,000 average viewers.
While the average viewership numbers are concerning, the peak viewership numbers paint an even starker picture. Evil Geniuses’ matchup against Cloud9 reached 230,000 viewers on day two, but the LCK had a peak of 827,000 viewers during T1 vs. DAMWON KIA. The LEC hit a peak of 527,000 during G2 Esports’ first match of the season against Excel Esports, and the CBLOL saw a peak of 262,000 during FURIA’s clash against LOUD.
Other European Regional Leagues like the LFL and the LVP Superliga have also challenged the LCS’ peak viewership with impressive numbers. For example, Solary vs. Karmine Corp drew in 221,000 viewers, and KOI vs. Team Heretics saw 218,000 viewers in week four of the split.
The VODs of the different leagues show a similar trend. The LEC’s week two VODs averaged around 34,500 viewers on the official LoL Esports VOD YouTube account, while the LCS’ week two VODs only averaged around 23,500 viewers.
A striking example is the C9 vs. Liquid VOD for week two, which currently has 54,000 views. In comparison, the G2-Astralis VOD for week five has the exact same amount of views. This means that a match between two top teams in the LCS garnered the same viewership as a match between an LEC fan favorite and the worst team in the league.
Several issues may have contributed to the drop in viewership. The retirement or absence of big-name players like Jensen, Jiizuke, and Doublelift could have had an impact. Additionally, the lack of consistent performances from teams like Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves, and FlyQuest may have led to lower interest in their matchups.
Furthermore, the decline of TSM and CLG as prominent teams in the LCS has affected viewership. While CLG has struggled for several seasons, TSM has always been a major draw for viewers. However, this year TSM made the decision to invest in rookies from China’s LDL and has had a disappointing start to the split with a 1-8 record.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Riot Games and the LCS address the drop in viewership, especially with minor regions and other leagues overtaking the LCS in popularity.
LCS, Spring Split, viewership numbers, LEC, LCK, CBLOL, VODs, retirements, big-name players, TSM, CLG.