The 2024 LEC Finals in Munich, Germany, concluded with a very hotly contested grand final between G2 Esports and Fnatic that managed to peak at 606,193 viewers. Although the 2024 Season Finals drew a significant viewership number, it fell short compared to the 2023 Season Finals. Last year’s event, featuring the same two teams in Montpellier, France, peaked at 654,942 viewers. This has raised the bar of fan and analyst discussions about an evolving scenery regarding viewership for esports.

Co-Streaming Shines: Ibai Llanos Tops LEC 2024 Finals Viewership

According to Esports Charts, one of the standout elements of this year’s viewership was the influence of co-streaming. Spanish co-streamer Ibai ‘Ibai’ Llanos Garatea, a prominent figure in the esports community and the owner of MAD Lions KOI, achieved the highest viewership among co-streamers.

Read Also: SuperFest 2024: Ultimate Esports Event with $2.9M Prize Pool

Ibai Llanos peaked at 143,857 viewers and averaged over 83,000 during his co-stream of the LEC 2024 Finals. This success underscores the increasing significance of co-streaming in esports, effectively attracting audiences who might not otherwise engage with the event. This format offers a personalized, interactive viewing experience that expands the reach of events like the LEC, attracting new demographics to the esports scene.

While the 2024 Season Finals surpassed the LEC Summer and Spring splits in peak viewership, it did not reach the Winter split’s peak of 830,816 viewers. This variability in viewership has sparked debates about the current state of the LEC and whether the three-split format resonates with fans. The close scheduling of the Season Finals after the split may have contributed to viewer fatigue, reducing overall excitement and engagement.

The LEC 2024 Finals Show Impressive Growth

Though the 2024 Season Finals peaked lower in viewership compared to the previous year, it still achieved over 9 million hours watched, surpassing the 8.762 million hours watched in 2023. Considering that this year’s event had four hours less airtime than the previous year, this represents impressive growth. The average viewership rose from 244,547 last year to 290,607 in 2024. This increase indicates that audiences were more consistent in their engagement throughout the event.

Read Also: Razer And TALON Teams Up To Boost Competitive Gaming

G2 Esports emerged as the most-watched team of the tournament, featuring in four of the five most-watched matches. This highlights their dominance in the League of Legends scene, as their games consistently attract high viewership with their intense and captivating gameplay. Even with fluctuating peak viewership, the time spent watching LEC content remains at a consistently high quality. While the LEC Season Finals are now over, attention will now turn to who is going for the 2024 League of Legends Worlds Championship, with G2, Fnatic, and MAD Lions KOI representing Europe. From September 25th in Berlin to Paris and onwards to the O2 Arena in one of the most iconic cities, the performances of this team on the world stage have been welcomed by fans: the way they can bring it back home with this World Championship title to Europe.