Riot Games’ Monday Night League Struggles with Viewership
Riot Games’ new Monday Night League (MNL) hasn’t been as successful as expected in terms of viewership during the first two weeks of the 2020 LCS Spring Split.
Low Viewership Numbers on Twitch
The viewership numbers on Twitch for the past two MNL broadcasts are discouraging. Yesterday, the LCS stream had a peak viewership count of only 73,000 people, with an average concurrent viewership count of less than 46,000 for the day.
Significant Drop in Viewership
This is a huge drop from the weekend’s games, where the viewership numbers peaked at around 158,000 on Saturday, Feb. 1 and 150,000 on Sunday, Feb. 2. The concurrent viewership on Saturday reached almost 99,000 viewers, while Sunday hit around 86,000 concurrent viewers (CCV).
Challenges for NA and EU Fans
MNL was marketed as a marquee day for North American League fans, but it has been disappointing during the first two weeks. Some fans simply won’t watch games that late on a weekday, especially if the matchup isn’t good.
The timing is also unfavorable for European viewers. Since the games are held late at night in North America, EU fans will have to wake up very early to catch some games. This has effectively isolated a significant portion of the fan base.
NA has had to reschedule and reformat its season in the past. While this new setup was interesting, Riot Games might need to rethink its strategy moving forward for the LCS.
Riot Games, Monday Night League, MNL, LCS Spring Split, viewership, Twitch, NA, EU fans, reformat, strategy