Buzz
(Thethaovanhoa.vn) - The LPL seems to be quite lacking in comparison to its 'great rival' LCK in foreign markets.
For most regions, before the official season begins, there are preseason tournaments that serve as a kickoff. One of the most attention-grabbing preseason tournaments recently has been each region's Season Kickoff - essentially an All-Star event where participating teams comprise the best players from each region's member teams.
However, according to recent statistics, the LPL appears to be falling quite short compared to other regions in terms of international viewer engagement for the Kickoff event. In fact, the tournament even lags behind regions like LEC, LCS, CBLOL - regions not particularly known for their international viewer appeal, especially in Asia due to time zone differences.
As a result, leading in international viewer engagement rates for preseason matches is the LCK with its LCK Season Kickoff 2023 (over 150.3 thousand peak viewership). Following closely are the Kickoff tournaments of LEC (99.3), LCS (67.1), CBLOL (63.8), LJL (37.7), and in 6th place, the LPL (21.8). The Kickoff event of the region with the world's largest League of Legends scene falls just above PCS (ranked 7th) and LLA (ranked 8th).
The explanation for this could stem from several factors. Firstly, it's likely that many renowned players from the LPL are no longer competing in this region in the new season, such as Viper, SofM, and others. Additionally, issues surrounding the LPL's Kickoff event, as well as the region not allocating many resources to international broadcasting channels, are also reasons why the LPL Season Kickoff fails to attract international viewers.
However, it cannot be denied that the LPL still holds immense domestic appeal, as evidenced by its large local audience. Furthermore, the LPL Spring 2023 has officially commenced, marking the region's most heavily invested tournament in the early stages of 2023.
