The 2023 LCS Summer Split Begins with Disappointing Viewership Numbers
The 2023 LCS Summer Split kicked off on June 14 after the LCSPA players’ walkout. However, the viewership numbers for the North American competition have been less than satisfying.
The first match between Cloud9 and Golden Guardians, the champions and runner-ups of the last split, recorded only 77,000 peak viewers. This is a significant decrease from the first match of the 2023 LCS Spring Split, which saw C9 face 100 Thieves.
Additionally, no other match on June 14 had more viewers than the C9 and GG series. The game between Immortals and Dignitas gained the interest of the fewest viewers, with only 73,484 people watching during the peak.
A Decline in LCS Viewership
These numbers are concerning as they continue the trend of declining LCS viewership from split to split. The most-watched game in the 2023 LCS Spring Split was the grand final between C9 and GG, which attracted 271,376 peak viewers. However, in the 2022 LCS Summer Split, the most-watched game was also the final between C9 and 100 Thieves, with 370,178 peak viewers.
Possible Impact of LCSPA Players’ Walkout
While we hope that the 2023 LCS Summer Split will see higher viewership numbers as it progresses, these poor results could be attributed to the LCSPA players’ walkout. The situation caused a two-week delay in the start of the split and may have resulted in some viewers losing interest in the competition overall.
2023 LCS Summer Split, LCS viewership, LCSPA players’ walkout