- The Brazilian circuit surpassed the LCA in both peak and average viewer numbers
- Other regions are also thriving in popularity while the NA LoL region continues to struggle
- Both fans and professionals give different reasons for why this is the case
CBLoL’s rise in viewership numbers and the LCS’s stagnation can be viewed as a good indicator of how League of Legends’ popularity is changing globally.
CBLoL Surpasses LCS
We are well into this year’s competitive League of Legends circuit and regions around the world are seeing steady growth in popularity. One region that has recently reached a crucial milestone is Brazil, as its CSLOL has surpassed the LCS in viewership for the 2023 Spring Split, according to data from the stats aggregation site Esports Charts.
This signifies a large growth in the popularity of the Brazilian LoL circuit, while the North American one seems to be stagnating. According to Esports Charts, the LCS had a peak viewership of 271 376 and averaged around just over 109 000 viewers per game. In comparison, the CBLOL hit a peak viewership of 276 078, maintaining an average viewership of around 111 000 across the league’s Spring campaign.
There are numerous reasons why the LCS seems to have dropped down in popularity recently. For starters, the circuit’s streaming times are not the most convenient. At the end of last year, Riot Games LCS games would be held during the week, rather than the prime time for such events, which is the weekend.
The new broadcasting times make it more difficult for LCS fans to watch their favorite NA teams on convenient for them days. Furthermore, many have suggested that the LCS simply does not have a large fan base, like it once did, which is why it’s slowly dying. “It’s honestly pretty weird how popular and growing league is everywhere outside the US, where it’s basically a WoW-tier boomer game at this point,” one commenter wrote on a Reddit discussion about the viewership numbers. “I’ve traveled all over Europe, Latin America, and Asia over the last few years and it’s like night and day.”
It has to be said that the LCS viewership was already in decline before these changes, so the recent data is just another symptom of a bigger problem. The issue has not gone unnoticed by fans and professionals alike. Many have talked about it, including 100 Thieves CEO Nedshot, who said NA does not have enough young players to get into professional LoL and keep the LCS fresh.Despite the North American league’s troubles, other regions are thriving. For example, the LPL raked in 200 576 viewers during its peak. But the undisputed champion in terms of popularity remains the LCK, whit its almost 1.5 million viewers during their 2023 Spring Split.
