SK Telecom T1 has again become the strongest team from Korea. T1 players led by kkOma won the LCK summer split finals and secured their place in this year's main tournament, the World Championship.
However, today we will summarize the entire competition. This means that the conversation will go both about the split itself, and about the regional qualifiers for the upcoming World Championship.
Summer split itself, has lost viewers when compared to spring. All the statistical indicators show a negative result. This is despite that, unlike at the beginning of the year, it was not a trip to MSI that was at stake, but a spot at Worlds.
The average viewers indicator has amounted to 117 thousand people during the summer. At the same time, the spring result was equal to 126 thousand viewers. The difference between the two parts of the season was almost 9 thousand people.
The decrease on part of the peak viewers was a little smaller. In the summer, the most popular match has gathered 766 thousand viewers, while the spring had 770 thousand peak viewers. As a result, we have a difference of only 3 thousand people.
As for the hours watched, their difference amounted to 1 million 589 thousand, which is not in favor of the summer split. For a better understanding, let us add that in percentage terms this result is equal to 4.4%.
The English-language broadcast has turned out to be one of the positive aspects of this summer's data; compared to spring it got a decent increase, reaching 44 thousand peak viewers, and increasing the average viewers by 10 thousand.
Just as expected, SK Telecom T1 became the most popular team of the summer split. Its matches have gathered 200 thousand people. The second on the list was Griffin and its 132 thousand average viewers. The bronze rank went to Afreeca Freecs with a score of 118 thousand.
Now, let’s look at Korea’s regional qualifier round for the World Championship. It also failed to demonstrate good results, but first let us will clarify the situation with the format of the event for those who do not know about it.
A total of three teams from LCK may enter Worlds. The first quota goes to the winner of the summer split. The second invitation goes to the participant with the highest number of qualification points (which are earned throughout the season). The third spot is played at the regional selection among the four first spots of the ranking based on the above-mentioned qualification points. Of course, the owners of invitations to the World Championship are excluded from it.
And now about the results of the Korea Regional Finals 2019 – but in comparison with the last year. According to the average viewers indicator, the contest has lost 52 thousand people. The difference between the peak viewers of the two seasons was equal 166 thousand viewers, of course not in favor of this year's competition.
Such a situation appeared for a completely obvious reason – SK Telecom T1. In 2018, Lee San Hyuk's team failed in the regular LCK stage and did not even make it to the playoffs. Because of this, T1 had to participate in regional qualifiers. The peak viewers mark was obtained at the very first match of this team; which also became its last match of 2018.
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