Esports is dying, but some teams and leagues are keeping the scene afloat. The first day of the LCK 2024 Spring Split kicked off to new heights.
Esports has not been in the best state throughout the last few years. There has been a huge decline in partnerships, as well as viewership in major regions. This has prompted many to believe that esports is dead and there is no coming back from it.
Of course, there are some teams and rivalries which have put those statements to shame. The first day of the LCK has proven that esports is not dead with viewership other regions can only dream of.
LoL: LCK Or Worlds? T1 vs. Gen.G Set New Viewership Records
That Gen.G and T1 are the most popular teams in the LCK, especially for international fans, is nothing new. These are the two best teams every single year coming from the region. This year, T1 entered the LCK season as the World Champions, while Gen.G are the three-time LCK champions, meaning that this game had a lot at stake even if it was the first of the year.
Viewership tends to peak whenever these teams meet. To kick off the 2024 LCK Spring Split, T1 and Gen.G raked in over 1.1 million peak viewers. This increase in viewership is huge, especially when comparing to the previous year.
1.1M Peak Viewers on 1st day of @LCK Spring 2024. New record for the group stage in regional #LoL leagues.@T1LoL vs @GenG_KR:@YouTube peak - 635K@Twitch - 278KStats incl. also CHZZK, AfreecaTV, Trovo & TikTok.More about #LCK Day 1:https://t.co/aiLuMbz6pa pic.twitter.com/Gh7CXPR9dL
— Esports Charts (@EsportsCharts) January 18, 2024
Esports Charts data shows that the LCK Spring Finals in 2023 – again between T1 and Gen.G – reached a peak viewership of just under 1.5 million. Now to have the first match of the season reach almost the same number is truly insane and shows just how excited fans are for the LCK and esports this year.
The LCK isn't the only region with these types of numbers, The first weekend of the LEC also saw a huge increase in viewership thanks to the new rivalries between MAD Lions KOI and KCorp. The LCS will kick off on January 20, 2024 so we are going to have to wait and see how the viewership in NA fares.