EMEA Masters Summer 2024 is set to debut in its new format on July 31. This year’s event will kick off with the first matches, highlighting 60 of the top League of Legends teams from 13 different European national leagues. This marks the largest number of participants in the history of the EMEA Masters.
EMEA Masters Summer 2024 Report
New EMEA Masters format
Riot Games has revised the EMEA Masters format for 2024 twice. Originally, they planned to allocate more slots to Tier-2 national leagues, but fans criticized this approach, arguing it was unfair to Tier-1 teams. In response, Riot expanded the tournament from 28 to 60 teams, making room for all of Europe's top clubs. Consequently, leading leagues such as LFL, TCL, and Prime now have twice as many slots, with 6 spots each instead of 3.
The updated EMEA Masters format features three stages: the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), the Swiss Stage, and the Playoffs. Top teams from national leagues will enter directly into the Swiss Stage, while less successful teams will begin in the LCQ, which is organized as a group stage.
This new format is both balanced and clear, rewarding strong teams with advancement to the later stages of the tournament. However, the increased number of teams might prolong the event, which could lead to viewer fatigue.
Event dates: July 31 - August 30.
EMEA Masters Summer 2024 Streams:
Viewership dynamics in European leagues
The EMEA Masters Summer 2024 will maintain a similar participant structure to previous tournaments, featuring teams from the same leagues and regions. However, this year’s tournament will start before some national leagues have finished their seasons. For example, the finals are not yet played in the LFL, TCL, SuperLiga, and Prime League.
In the LFL, viewership is heavily influenced by matchups, as the main audience comes from community casters’ channels. Since 2022, there has been a noticeable decline in average viewership during the summer seasons, although spring seasons remain relatively stable. A similar gradual decline is observed in the Prime League and SuperLiga, with SuperLiga experiencing a particularly sharp decrease.
Several factors contribute to the reduced viewership of top European leagues:
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Dominance of Top Teams: Fans often tune in specifically to watch certain top teams, leading to lower viewership for games involving less popular teams. This focus can diminish overall viewership.
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Dependence on Community Casters: Many of these casters are team owners who broadcast matches. When their teams perform poorly or are eliminated early, viewership can drop significantly.
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Teams moving to LEC: Top clubs from national leagues, such as Karmine Corp, Team Heretics, and MAD Lions KOI, have moved to the franchised LEC. These teams previously boosted viewership in the LFL and SuperLiga, and with their transition to the LEC, only their academy teams remain in the national leagues, which are less engaging for fans.
EMEA Masters Tournaments Comparison
EMEA Masters Summer 2023 was the most popular tournament in the series, breaking records for total hours watched, average viewership, and peak viewership. With the new format for EMEA Masters Summer 2024, total HW are expected to exceed those of the previous year. However, the average viewership per broadcast may decline because of the increased number of matches featuring less prominent teams. Peak viewership will largely depend on the matchups in critical games and the impact of community casters.
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