Worlds 2022 Impact on North American League Streamers
The iconic League of Legends tournament, Worlds 2022, made its debut in the U.S. Although it started off slowly, it eventually broke the peak viewership record by a significant margin. Tyler1, a prominent North American League streamer, claimed that the tournament had effectively killed the streaming scene on Twitch for NA players who had to compete with the event or stream at a later time.
But did it actually have such a drastic impact? The answer is: ‘Well, sort of.’
Viewership Data during Worlds 2022
As expected, the official Riot Games channel dominated the viewership during the event. Other dominant channels, such as One Trick Production, LCK Korea, LVPes, LLA, and CBLOL, also broadcasted the tournament in different languages, either officially or as affiliates. Collectively, they accounted for more than 72 million hours watched, with half of that coming from the main channel.
For reference, Tyler1, who is considered a top streamer in NA, had a little over two million hours watched during the same period. This was significantly lower than the three million he had in September, the 4.6 million he had in August, and the four million he had in July—a decline in viewership.
It’s worth noting that his average viewership dropped to around 15,000 in October, which was 10,000 viewers lower than his average throughout 2022. However, his numbers in September and August were similar.
Impact on Other NA Streamers
What about other NA streamers? The three examples Tyler1 listed in his initial rant—Bobqin, ChaseShaco, and Tarzaned—also experienced slight declines compared to their usual numbers.
Bobqin’s channel garnered around 70,000 hours watched, with an average of 628 viewers per stream. This was slightly lower compared to other months, except for July.
ChaseShaco’s channel received around 85,000 hours watched in October, with an average of 764 viewers per stream. While this was lower than his yearly average, it wasn’t a significant decrease, nor was it his lowest.
Tarzaned also saw a slight dip in League viewership on Twitch, with his numbers in October being lower than his best month but not his worst.
The Impact of Worlds 2022
Based on this data, it’s evident that Worlds 2022 did have an impact on NA League streamers. It’s expected, considering it was a massive event that took place during prime streaming hours. However, it didn’t completely kill the streaming scene, as Tyler1 feared.
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