Earlier this month, LoL Esports released the viewership data from its annual League of Legends World Championship Final, a live event held in October at Shanghai’s SAIC Motor Pudong Arena. LoL Esports said the final rounds were broadcast in 16 languages and across 21 platforms. The spectacle opened with a presentation by Mastercard that showcased an augmented reality concert by international pop girl group K/DA as well as Louis Vuitton’s LED-enhanced custom trophy case. Inside the case was the Summoner’s Cup. And the trophy ceremony was presented — for the first time — by Mercedes-Benz.
The final matches were between the Suning team from China’s LPL and Damwon Gaming team from Korea’s LCK league. Damwon won three matches to one.
By the numbers, the finals match had an average minute audience, or AMA, of 23.04 million and peak concurrent viewers, or PCU, of 45.95 million. “There were one-plus billion hours of competition watched [live] over the course of the tournament,” noted LoL Esports. “This viewership sets a new record for [for the event] and is an indicator of esports’ increasing appeal.”
And while esports have been around for decades, the event spotlighted professional gaming’s growth in the West — thanks to companies such
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