Just as Faker fell short again, the LCK established a record for the highest peak viewership for the LCK.
According to Esports Charts, the Korean league reached a peak viewership figure of 2.6 million people as Gen.G picked up their fourth consecutive LCK title in a thrilling 3-2 series against T1 and made it directly to the group stage of this year’s MSI.
Last year’s Summer Split in the LCK had a peak viewership of 1.5 million, which was easily dwarfed by this year’s iteration, marking a 73 increase in the metric. Seeing how last year’s spring-to-summer audience growth was just 7.69 percent, it will be interesting to see whether the LCK will be able to retain these numbers and build on them.
The record also surpassed the peak viewership figures of the past two Mid-Season Invitationals, which capped out at 2.2 and 2.1 million, respectively.
Part of this is due to the skill and popularity of the teams and players involved. T1 and Gen.G have always made it to the LCK finals since the 2022 Summer Split, and they form the backbone of Korea’s domination on the global stage. Winning the highest number of international trophies has no doubt helped with the popularity of the Korean league over the years—and that’s before considering the presence of popular players like Faker.
Fans still have plenty of League esports action catch this year, starting with the LPL and LEC Spring split’s finale this week, leading into MSI 2024 starting next month.