During the first day of the Worlds 2024 Swiss stage, a new viewership record was set for this phase of the tournament. Let’s see what unfolded.
Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
A peak of nearly 3 million viewers on Worlds Swiss Stage Day 1
With Worlds already hitting over 1 million peak viewership during play-ins, it was expected that the numbers would soar with Swiss matches starting on October 3. The top 16 teams in the world are battling for a spot in the knockout stage, with T1 and the Korean audience leading the way in terms of viewership.
A peak of 2.82M concurrent viewers was recorded during the series between Top Esports and defending world champion T1, as reported by data platform Esports Charts. Korean fans made up more than a quarter of these viewers, eager to watch LCK teams in action.
Gen.G’s match against Weibo Gaming was the second most-watched game of the day, drawing 2.31M peak viewers.
Overall, Day 1 of Swiss saw over 14.2M Hours Watched, representing a 52.7% increase compared to the previous year. In a comparison with 2023, T1’s series against Top Esports would rank fourth among the most-watched series.
T1’s widespread appeal
T1’s popularity extends beyond Korean fans. Esports Charts reported that the Korean viewership on the official YouTube Live broadcast peaked at nearly 400,000 viewers during T1’s match. Viewership spikes were also observed for Caedrel and the official VCS channel, surpassing the numbers for domestic team GAM’s match against FLY.
As we await the Knockout stage, it is anticipated that viewership will continue to climb, especially if T1 faces off against other top teams. The cross-regional matches and the new Swiss format have raised the stakes, offering fans more reasons to tune in and enjoy the League of Legends action.
