Smaller MLBB circuits’ international viewership suffers from simultaneous scheduling
Last weekend, on October 19 and 20, six more teams qualified through four professional leagues of the MLBB esports scene to the M6 World Championship, the yearly season-ending event for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Among these four leagues, two types emerged with our viewership data in consideration: regional circuits losing international viewership previously relied on, and regional circuits largely relying on regional fans growing.
During the weekend, the MPL Cambodia, MPL MENA, MTC Turkiye Championship, and NACT all wrapped up their playoffs stages, qualifying teams for the main event and Wildcard stage of the World Championship. While the order of popularity of these circuits remains unchanged from last season, viewership has been shaken up considerably, with one league losing over 50% of its peak viewership compared to last season.
Firstly, let’s begin with the MPL Cambodia, the most popular of the four leagues that simultaneously held playoffs events. The circuit has been largely popular since its inception, captivating a large Cambodian audience through its national language Khmer, and also some English-speaking fans too. MPL Cambodia Season 7 marked a slight downturn in viewership, earning 19% fewer Peak Viewers than last season.
MPL Cambodia Season 7 Viewership Results
For its grand final match, Season 7 of the MPL Cambodia received 107.5K Peak Viewers, roughly 25K fewer than Season 6. The previous season of the series enjoyed a sizeable boost to its large, passionate regional audience from international English-language coverage, such as the MPL Indonesia TikTok account, which brought thousands of English-language international viewers to the playoffs stage.
While peak viewership fell for the season, average viewership actually rose by a couple thousand viewers. The MPL Cambodia recorded an increase in viewership with 24.9K Average Viewers, but it just was unable to replicate last season’s boost from international viewership this time: a recurring theme among smaller professional league circuits that relied on international viewership, and perhaps a negative impact of all the circuits sharing one weekend for their finals.
Season 7 of the MPL in Cambodia saw competitor CFU Gaming rise through the ranks and make their way to another grand final. The organization has been a finalist for the MPL Cambodia many times, but Season 7 marked their first championship, during which they set a peak viewership of 107.5K PV. While CFU Gaming are excited to prove their worth at the M6, popular team See You Soon will miss out on the world championship this year.
See You Soon have represented Cambodia at multiple MLBB World Championships, and throughout their appearances, they have built up a passionate audience among their regional fans. Their popularity throughout the playoffs stage was uncontested, occupying four of the event’s most popular matches after finishing the circuit in fourth. Without SYS, Cambodian audiences will have to cheer for a new team at the M6.
NACT Fall 2024 Viewership Results
Across the world in the Americas, the North American Challenger Tournament is continuing its growth. The NACT Fall 2024 received 84.6K Peak Viewers, and at 6.8K AV marked a new Average Viewers record for the series. The NACT circuit is a small regional circuit that appeals to the minor North American audience for MLBB events. While it did not enjoy a boost from large international audiences like the MPL Cambodia, it continues to appeal to its niche but loyal audience.
Within NACT, organization-less team BloodThirstyKings achieved their third NACT title in only two years, with the team now gearing up for a second World Championship appearance. The players of BTK previously competed under the Gaimin Gladiators banner, but the organization pulled out of MLBB after less than 7 months. Despite the interesting story behind BTK, viewership remained stable, slow, but growing.
The NACT’s reliance on a passionate regional audience helped it to receive a smaller, but more consistent viewership than the MPL Cambodia. This also applied to the two smaller circuits below these two events, the MPL MENA and MTC Türkiye Championship series.
MPL MENA Season 6 Viewership Results
The MPL MENA, similar to the MPL Cambodia, appears to have been a victim of scheduling. Last event, Season 5 of the MPL MENA was able to record 43.3K Peak Viewers, but the MPL MENA Season 6 just generated 21.5K PV.
Season 5 of the MPL MENA did perhaps enjoy a boost in viewership from Team Falcons’ appearance in the finals, who command a sizeable MENA audience as a regional leader, but Season 6 still featured well-known MENA organizations, such as Twisted Minds. Critically, the event’s average viewership was much more stable compared to its peak, and it was able to record strong results, despite a disappointing finale.
The MPL Cambodia and MPL MENA both held interesting seasons before the M6, with strong competition and popular organizations competing for the qualification spots. However, with these circuits all holding their final matches within one weekend, international viewers cannot concentrate on one singular event. The events’ average viewership remains stable, despite an alarming drop in Peak Viewers, which the professional league tournaments cannot control.
MTC Türkiye Championship Season 4 Viewership Results
Lastly, the MTC Turkiye Championship Season 4 recorded 14.4K Peak Viewers for its grand final, and 234.4K Hours Watched for the entire season. The regional circuit appeals to a niche Turkish audience for MLBB esports, although Moonton Games will be hoping to develop this audience along with the MENA region in the coming years.
Strong regional competitors Fire Flux Esports and S2G Esports both qualified for the M6, with the former team having claimed the championship and direct invite to the main event, whereas S2G Esports will have to battle through Wildcard stage.
As it stands, the MTC Turkiye Championship appeals to a niche Turkish audience, similarly to how the NACT operates in North America. This allows the MTC to record small increments of growth each season, with viewership much more stable and less prone to disruptions. Season 4 of the MTC recorded a new Peak Viewers record for the event series, and this region is on track to continue its organic local growth.
M6 World Championship Qualified Teams
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All the leagues we have covered, the MPL Cambodia, NACT, MPL MENA, and MTC Türkiye Championship recorded strong viewership results heading into the M6 event. The MPL Cambodia and MPL MENA recorded low international viewership, suffering from simultaneous scheduling, but regionally-focused circuits like the NACT and MTC flourished. The M6 is well-prepared to be one of the most popular MLBB events ever, with regional viewership around the globe looking strong.
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