LCS Sets Record High Viewership in 2020 Despite COVID-19 Challenges
In a year filled with challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LCS broadcast team has managed to achieve great success. According to Riot Games, the LCS has experienced its highest viewership numbers this summer since the 2016 season.
Riot Games announced that a total of nearly 35 million hours were watched during the summer split, signifying a 72% increase in viewership compared to the 2019 Summer Split. The peak viewership for the LCS, including both the regular season and postseason, reached 551,679, which is a 12.4% increase from last year.
Expanding Focus on Increased Viewership
Riot made an effort to increase viewership by expanding the postseason format for the 2020 season. By having a larger and more inclusive playoff bracket, the league anticipated drawing more attention to the LCS. This strategy proved to be successful as the playoffs attracted a significantly larger audience compared to previous seasons.
An Expansive Playoff Format Yields Higher Viewership
In 2020, the LCS playoffs saw an average minute audience of nearly 485,000 viewers during the summer finals, marking a 27.47% increase from the 2019 finals. The expanded playoff bracket played a crucial role in driving this growth. Even matches between sixth and seventh-place teams generated more interest when labeled as “playoffs,” leading to a surge in viewership.
This trend is not exclusive to the LCS. Other professional League regions and sports leagues like MLB are also adopting more expansive playoff formats to capitalize on the potential for higher viewership.
Potential for Continued Growth
The viewership numbers are expected to soar even higher with the upcoming League World Championship, set to begin on September 25.
LCS, viewership, COVID-19 challenges, playoffs, expanded bracket, League World Championship