T1's playoffs debut helps Mid-Season Invitational 2025 touch new viewership peak

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Day 3 of the playoff stage of the Mid-Season Invitational 2025 was held on July 4, introducing two more title contenders into the mix. To nobody's surprise, one of the Upper Bracket Round 1 matches set a new peak for the tournament's live concurrent viewership thanks to the presence of the reigning world champion.

The day's second meeting saw a clash between a global heavyweight and a regional star as  T1 faced off against Taiwan's CTBC Flying Oyster. The former, easily the world's most popular League of Legends team, was given quite a scare by its unheralded opponents before eking out a 3:2 win.

Korean powerhouse T1 prevented an upset for the ages to keep alive its hopes of clinching its first global title of the year. With so much happening in such a high-stakes matchup, it ended up notching 1.67 million Peak Viewers (PV), beating the previous mark set during the second day of the Playoffs by over 505,000 concurrent viewers.

Such is the global fan following enjoyed by T1 that whenever it plays, there is a high chance the game ends as an event's most popular match. Although Korean and Chinese audiences had to tune in early in the morning to catch the game, it was a much better slot for European viewers, showing just how in-demand Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok & Co's matches are, irrespective of what time they play.

The other clash on the third day of the knockouts saw Spanish Twitch sensation Ibai "Ibai" Llanos' KOI take on Bilibili Gaming, China's top side, and it peaked at 911,308 live viewers. The latter eased to a 3:1 win to continue its quest for a maiden international trophy, sending KOI to the Lower Bracket Round 1 in the process.

The results from the four matches in the Upper Bracket Round 1 have also thrown up an interesting dynamic. Both Upper Bracket semifinals will feature a Korea versus China derby, reiterating these regions' stranglehold on League of Legends' premier global tournaments, while the Lower Bracket will see the other pretenders battle it out to earn another shot at the Grand Final, with this segment including a classic Europe versus North American showdown.

With T1 facing Bilibili Gaming in a rematch of the 2024 World Championship finals, there is a high chance the MSI 2025 will reach a new peak viewership milestone. With audiences of both parties known to throw full support behind their teams, there is even a chance this premier offseason LoL competition touches the 2 million PV mark much before the Grand Final.

Esports Charts will continue to keep up with the tournament and provide live viewership updates to readers. Those interested in a deeper dive into the audience statistics, including language, platform, and team dynamics, can check out our PRO subscription.