The LCS Ends 2021 Spring Split Regular Season with Decreased Viewership
The LCS wrapped up its 2021 Spring Split regular season on a low note. Most of the league’s major playoff implications had already been resolved, resulting in a lack of competitive interest in the final matches streamed on its main Twitch channel.
Out of the top six spots in the standings reserved for the playoffs, only one was still up for grabs, with Evil Geniuses and Immortals vying for the final spot. While there was some seeding left to be determined, the standings weren’t as tight as the previous year, where there was only a two-game difference between second and eighth place.
As a result, the LCS’ main Twitch channel experienced its lowest average viewership of the 2021 Spring Split. According to stats acquired by SullyGnome, the channel averaged 58,971 viewers across 20.6 hours of live coverage, totaling 1.21 million hours watched.
Compared to the final weekend of the Spring Split in 2020, the LCS’ main Twitch channel saw an average decrease of around 10,000 viewers. Last year, the league averaged 69,046 viewers over 15.5 hours of air time, totaling 1.07 million hours watched.
Last year’s viewership during the final week benefited from four tiebreaker matches that determined the final playoff spot and seeding.
The decline in viewership on the LCS’ main Twitch channel has been a consistent trend throughout the season, largely due to scheduling changes made by Riot. While the league saw stronger viewership for Friday games compared to Mondays last year, the main Twitch channel didn’t see significant improvement during the spring regular season.
The condensed schedule of six weeks, as opposed to the nine weeks of the previous year, made it challenging for viewers to consume all that the league had to offer.
Furthermore, the Lock In tournament held before the Spring Split dampened the early-season hype that could have boosted viewership in the first few weeks.
However, it’s worth noting that live coverage of the LCS can also be found on YouTube, and the league allows co-streaming for members of its partner program and LCS/Academy teams. This practice started last year for the same groups of content creators.
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esports, LCS, Twitch, viewership