- Peak audience achieved during the final, beating the 3.7m for last year’s climax
- This year’s competition fails to beat 3.9m viewership high in 2019
The 2020 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship achieved a peak viewership of 3.8 million, according to Esports Charts, down slightly from last year’s high of 3.9 million.
The tournament, which was won by DAMWON Gaming, averaged more than 1.1 million viewers, while it also saw over 139 million hours of viewership, up from last year’s total of 137 million hours.
This year’s peak viewership occurred during the Worlds final. In contrast, last year’s 3.9 million high was reached in the semi-finals, a 94 per cent increase on the 2018 audience for that round, with the final achieving a peak audience of 3.7 million.
While the 2020 final beat last year’s climax for peak viewership, its failure to break the record 3.9 million barrier can be attributed to a number of reasons. Notably, the tournament was held in China, which meant an early start time for fans in North America. DAMWON Gaming and their opponents, Suning, also did not have as many superstar gamers in their ranks.
Despite this, the figures represent another impressive year for the Worlds. The average viewership alone for the early stage ten-team round-robin play-in was 714,000, up 35 per cent compared to the opening period for 2019.
Last year’s Worlds were also the most watched esports event of the year and the 2020 edition appears on course to retain that crown.
