With HLE's victory, the 2024 LCK Summer Split came to an end, setting a new historical high in viewership data for this event.
On September 8, LCK officially announced the viewership data for the 2024 LCK Summer Split. This Summer Split not only broke the pattern of GEN and T1 meeting in the finals for the past five seasons since the 2022 Spring Split, but also brought freshness and shock to the audience as HLE ended GEN's four consecutive championships, announcing the birth of a new champion.
Although T1 did not make it to the finals, which raised concerns about the event's popularity, the fierce battle between HLE and GEN over five games attracted as many as 3.2 million viewers. Among them, 75% were overseas viewers, about 2.4 million, proving that the new finals matchup had high appeal to both domestic and international audiences.
The 2024 LCK Summer Split set a new record for the highest average minute audience (AMA) in history. AMA refers to the average number of viewers watching the game per minute from start to finish, which is an indicator of content appeal and sustainability.
The overall AMA for this Summer Split was 449,000, setting a historical high, rising by 4.6% from the Spring Split's 429,000, and increasing by 17.2% compared to the 2023 average AMA of 383,000.
An important factor contributing to the record AMA of this Summer Split was the influx of overseas fans. According to global AMA data from this year's Spring Split, the most fans watched the English broadcast, followed by Chinese and Vietnamese, totaling 244,000.
The global AMA for the Summer Split reached 283,000, a 16% increase from the Spring Split. Among them, the Chinese broadcast AMA reached 122,000, a 34% increase, significantly boosting the overall data. This is closely related to GEN's victory at the Mid-Season Invitational held in Chengdu, China, in May, which attracted a large number of Chinese fans' attention, and the Chinese streamers' broadcasts of LCK.
The addition of Vietnamese viewers was also particularly notable. During the 2023 Summer Split, the Vietnamese AMA was 33,000, while this year's Summer Split increased to 49,000, a growth rate of 40%.
Other factors also contributed to the increase in data. The "Saturday Showdown" introduced for the first time in 2023 became a fan-favorite "blockbuster matchup," and the playoff spot battles at the end of the regular season were extremely intense. In the playoffs, not only did new teams enter the finals and eventually win the championship, but it also attracted more fans' attention to LCK.
The domestic average AMA for LCK in Korea increased from 128,000 in 2023 to 176,000 in 2024, a 37% increase. The surge in Korean fans further solidified LCK's domestic audience base.
The rapid rise in domestic AMA in Korea benefited from the diversification of viewing environments. Starting from the LCK Spring Split, Naver introduced high-definition live streaming services and provided stable streaming services during the Summer Split, attracting Korean domestic viewers who originally watched on the Twitch platform. Viewers could watch through YouTube official broadcasts or choose their favorite streamers to enjoy a diverse viewing experience.
Additionally, the Korean team's gold medal win at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and T1's victory at the League of Legends World Championship hosted in Korea also sparked widespread public interest in LoL esports, indirectly boosting LCK viewership data.
From the opening of this Summer Split to the finals, the overall viewership data maintained strong momentum in the early and mid-regular season and continued to rise after entering the playoffs.
LCK Secretary-General Lee Jung-hoon stated: "Through the viewership data of this Summer Split, LCK has proven its solid domestic audience base in Korea and continues to be loved by overseas fans. In the future, we will continue to strive to make LCK the strongest and most sustainable league in the world."
