LEC Winter 2023 Recap - How many watched G2 Esports defeat MAD Lions?
Yesterday, the LEC Winter 2023 came to an exciting end with the Grand Final between MAD Lions and G2 Esports. Since January, EU’s top 10 teams had been battling it out on the rift. G2 bested them all and defeated MAD Lions in a dominating fashion, 3:0. The series became the most popular of all during the split. But how popular was this split compared to previous ones? We’ve compiled everything you need to know about LEC Winter 2023.
LEC Winter 2023 results
The LEC Winter 2023 was the first split since the league’s merger with EMEA Masters. The split also introduced a new format to the LEC. Participating teams now must battle through three stages: the Regular Season, the Group Stage, and the Playoffs. The first phase is played in a Single Round Robin Format. Its top eight teams advance to the next stage. The Group Stage divides the eight teams into two groups where they play in GSL Format. The Playoffs remain a double-elimination bracket. But in the new format, only four teams participate in this final stage.
In contrast, previous LEC tournaments only included the Group Stage and the Playoffs. The former was held in a Double Round Robin Format, where the best six teams qualified for the Playoffs. These changes have drastically shortened the split duration. The number of matches played per split was cut down from 98 to 59
The LEC Winter 2023 Grand Final was a dominating display of G2’s skills. Just as they had done in the Group Stage, the team won every map against MAD Lions and secured themselves G2’s seventh LEC title. The squad around BrokenBlade, Yike, Caps, Han Sama, and Mikyx also won €40,000 in prize money. Caps was crowned match MVP for his stellar performance in the mid-lane.
LEC Winter 2023 viewership insights
During its 94-hour Airtime, the LEC Winter 2023 accumulated over 26 million Hours Watched. The Grand Finals broke the split’s previous peak viewership record. Over 570,000 Peak Viewers followed the series between G2 and MAD Lions. The second-most popular match was between G2 and KOI at nearly 510,000 PV. In contrast, the other matches in the top 5 couldn’t reach the 500,000 PV mark.
(!) With our Events Dashboard, you can gain advanced insights into the LEC that go beyond the statistics of a Pro Subscription. Find out how many Spanish viewers followed the Winter 2023 split and break down viewership by 5-minute intervals. Check out our Pricing Page for more information.
G2 is one of the most-beloved League of Legends teams with a long history in the LEC. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that it was the most-watched team of the split. KOI comes in second. It’s clear that this new team benefits from its owner’s popularity. The former LVP caster and streamer Ibai is a legend within the Spanish-speaking streaming community. KOI’s massive fanbase also shows in the league’s most-watched matches. The organization is represented in 4 of the top 5 series in the LEC Winter 2023. Although KOI couldn’t quite make it to the top in terms of viewership, G2 overtook them only by a small margin. This is a huge success for a new LEC squad.
KOI entered the LEC with another Spanish organization: Team Heretics. After competing in the Spanish Challenger Series and the LVP Superliga Second Division, the team bought Misfits Gaming’s LEC slot. In their first split, they ended as the fourth most-watched team, barely missing the 300,000 Average Viewers mark. The team even beat finalist MAD Lions, which sits in fifth place.
Interestingly, Fnatic is the third-most popular team of the split despite their early elimination. The LEC veteran had high expectations for its new roster but was knocked at during the split’s first stage. With way over 300,000 Average Viewers, Fnatic fans prove their loyalty.
The LEC Winter 2023 had significantly fewer Hours Watched than the splits from 2020-2022 due to its reduced Air Time. With over 570,000, its peak viewership was lower, too. The previous split, the LEC Summer 2022, attracted over 730,000 Peak Viewers, while the top 1 split reached over 840,000 PV. Still, the LEC Winter 2023 has had fine average viewership. With about 280,000 Average Viewers, it outperformed the LEC splits of 2022.
Although the LEC isn’t on a downward trend by all the metrics, it appears to be struggling with peak viewership. The finals of recent splits couldn’t reach the same sensational status as those in 2020 and 2021. The LEC Winter 2023 had the lowest number of Peak Viewers since the LEC Spring 2019 — far from the more than 1 million PV of the LEC Summer 2020.
Several factors could be at play here. Some argue that viewership between 2020 and 2022 was highly inflated due to the pandemic. During these years, strict regulations prevented many from going outside, freeing up time to watch esports. In addition, the LoL community has expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the game and Riot Games’ governance. Some point out that the publisher is neglecting the esport in favor of its newer project, Valorant. For example, the Season 2023 Cinematic “The Brink of Infinity” was considered lackluster compared to previous LoL cinematics and Valorant equivalents.
Regarding the league itself, the quick elimination of Fnatic probably took a toll on the split’s viewership performance. The stats show that Fnatic fans have a higher stake in the league’s overall viewership than finalist MAD Lions. Its disappointing performance might have turned away many Fnactic followers from the split. Finally, this split was the first under the “Winter” label after the LEC’s merger with EMEA Masters. Previously, LoL esports fans were used to a Spring, and Summer split every year. The format changes might have affected viewership numbers.
With the conclusion of the LEC Winter 2023, G2 Esports has secured the first spot at the Mid-Season InternationaI and the LEC Finals. But the chance for another LEC title is approaching swiftly. The LEC Spring 2023 will begin on March 11 with Excel Esports versus Fnatic. We’re curious to see if viewership picks up as the 2023 season progresses.
Detailed Esports data at your fingertips.
Subscribe to & start exploring!
