LTA North & South: Why Split 3 saw falling viewership despite the World Championship hype

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The American leagues, LTA North and LTA South, are continuing to lose viewers. During Split 3, their numbers fell sharply once again, despite the season moving toward its climax. Esports Charts looked into why fewer League of Legends fans are tuning in to these regions.

The format for LTA North and LTA South in Split 3 was slightly different from Split 2 season. Organizers cut down the number of matches, which reduced the overall broadcast time. Each league awarded one direct spot at the 2025 World Championship. On top of that, the top three teams from each league in Split 3 will advance to the LTA 2025 Championship, where they’ll battle for another World Championship slot.

In LTA North Split 3, FlyQuest secured the World Championship spot, as expected, proving once again to be the league’s most experienced and dominant team. By contrast, LTA South Split 3 delivered a surprise: Brazil’s Keyd Stars earned the ticket. The team had never competed at an international League of Legends event before, and its last regional title goes all the way back to CBLOL 2014.

The final World Championship berth will be decided in the showdown between RED Canids and 100 Thieves. At the time of this article’s publication, paiN Gaming and Shopify Rebellion had already been knocked out of the LTA 2025 Championship.

Viewership trends for LTA North & LTA South Split 3

As noted earlier, the new format significantly reduced the league’s length. Compared to Split 2, total airtime was down by roughly 30–35%. This cutback was one of the main reasons both leagues experienced such a steep drop in watch hours.

Looking at LTA North’s stats, the league’s average viewership held steady, with only a minor 2.5% dip that can be considered negligible. Peak viewership, however, dropped by a steep 28%. The reason is straightforward: the decline came from the absence of Marc Robert “Caedrel” Lamont, the most popular English-speaking community caster in League of Legends.

Caedrel’s channel was the most popular during the LTA North Split 2 finals, but he didn’t cover any matches in Split 3. Without his absence, the league’s overall viewership trend might have looked far more positive. After all, Split 3 featured more unique broadcast channels than Split 2 and also gained significantly more attention on the streaming platform Kick.

In LTA South, both average and peak viewership fell by about 8–9%. The drop wasn’t tied to any single factor or channel — major streamers like Gustavo “Baiano” Gomes continued to actively cover the league. There were more unique channels this time around, and the league also gained reach on Kick, but the audience still declined.

The main reason came down to the favorites underperforming. Teams like LOUD, FURIA Esports, and paiN Gaming exited the Worlds race early, and that’s where most of the fan interest was concentrated. By contrast, Keyd Stars and RED Canids don’t have nearly the same fanbase size or history of big tournament results, which led to the slump in viewership. 

Another factor could be that Split 2 awarded spots for two international tournaments simultaneously — the Mid-Season Invitational 2025 and the Esports World Cup 2025. This undoubtedly made the matches more exciting for viewers.

The LTA 2025 Championship is taking place in Allen, Texas, from September 13 to 28. Fans can follow live results and updates on the Esports Charts event page. The top three teams from the tournament will earn the right to represent North and South America at the 2025 World Championship. This year’s biggest League of Legends event runs from October 14 to November 9 in China.