ONIC Esports maintains domestic dominance as Season 16 ends among MPL Indonesia's most popular events

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One of the most prominent regional events on the annual esports calendar, the MPL Indonesia Season 16, concluded on November 2. While unable to maintain its recent streak of milestones, the event still ended up being one of the most popular in the series.

The MPL Indonesia Season 16 spanned almost ten weeks, bringing together the top teams in Indonesia. While a prize pool of $298,460 was at stake, there was also the question of which names would represent the nation at the upcoming M7 World Championship.

  ONIC Esports clinched its sixth MPL Indonesia title in the last nine seasons (Image via MPL Indonesia on Facebook)   

The Playoffs of this Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) competition were held in Jakarta's Nusantara International Convention Exhibition in a hybrid elimination format. The third to sixth seeded teams from the Regular Season competed in Round 1 (single elimination), while the first and second seeded teams received a round bye and will start in Round 2 (double elimination).

  MPL Indonesia Season 16: basic viewership stats and most popular matches   

In the end, ONIC Esports once again asserted its dominance in Indonesia, easing past Alter Ego 4:1 in the Grand Final after going a game down early on. It ended as the event’s most popular match, attracting just over 3.1 million Peak Viewers (PV). The decisive match of the tournament was the only game to pass this milestone, but it was enough to put Season 16 as the third-most popular competition in the Indonesian circuit and the overall MPL series.

The MPL Indonesia Season 16 also became just the fifth Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event to cross the 100 million Hours Watched (HW) mark. All the top-five entries come from this regional league, with the 14th season top of the pile with 117.5 HW.

ONIC Esports also made history as the first side to hit a total of ten podium places in the MPL Indonesia series. It also extended its lead as the most successful esports organization in the regional league, securing a seventh title, three more than the next-best team, RRQ Hoshi.

It was also a seminal event for Alter Ego, which improved on two previous third-place showings to reach the finals for the first time. As a result, it notched its first top-two finish in the MPL Indonesia and will, alongside ONIC Esports, participate in the world championship for just the second time after finishing fourth at the M2 World Championship.

  Most popular MPL events of all time   

One side played an important part in the viewership dynamics of the MPL Indonesia Season 16. RRQ Hoshi, arguably the world's most popular Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team, had seen an uptick in form over the last few splits, notching back-to-back runner-up finishes in seasons 14 and 15, which coincided with the series doing record peak concurrent viewership numbers.

It is safe to say that RRQ Hoshi remains the most popular side in the Southeast Asian country, and its results affect the regional league's audience figures. That was the case in Season 16 as well, with the side unable to make it past the Group Stage, which impacted the viewership potential of one of MLBB's marquee tournaments.

Joining RRQ Hoshi as a shock name to exit early was Team Liquid ID, the reigning world championship runner-up. However, this did point to the increasing competitiveness of the league, with more Western esports organizations entering the fray.

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It seems that solving the ONIC Esports puzzle remains the number one objective for each of these sides. After all, the team has won six of the last nine seasons and has become an ever-present for Indonesia at global championships.

Overall, it's been another solid year for MPL Indonesia, with both its seasons entering the series' top three for peak live viewers. It also continues to attract investment and interest from the top Western organizations, so there's no reason to believe that its viewership numbers won't continue to be among the highest in all of esports.

Speaking of events on a global scale, the M7 World Championship will be held from January 1 to 31, 2026. The Grand Final will welcome fans to the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan in Jakarta, with tickets going live on November 2 on the official website, including an early bird discount of 20% until November 30.