Worlds 2023 Semifinals gather 4.3 million Peak Viewers — the third highest result in the history of esports

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The 2023 World Championship, a League of Legends tournament, is gradually coming to an end — last weekend, two Semifinals were played, which attracted millions of fans. The upcoming final may set a new record for esports in terms of viewers, as T1, the most decorated team in South Korea, will be playing at the Gocheok Sky Dome stadium in Seoul.

2023 World Championship’s viewership statistics and report

On November 11, the Chinese derby took place between the teams Bilibili Gaming and Weibo Gaming, in which the latter achieved a hard-fought victory with a score of 3:2. The match attracted around 2.2 million Peak Viewers on major international streaming services (excluding Chinese platforms). Interestingly, fewer people followed the series than the quarterfinals the day before.

The next day, the second Semifinal of the tournament took place between the teams T1 and JD Gaming. This time, the series attracted a lot more viewers, as it was a matchup between teams from different franchise leagues. T1 defeated its opponent with a score of 3:1 and secured a spot in the World Series final once again. Perhaps, next weekend, the legendary Faker will be able to win his fourth championship.

The match between T1 and JD Gaming gathered 4.3 million PV — almost twice as many as the first SemIfinal between Chinese teams. This result was achieved thanks to a threefold increase in Korean broadcasts, as well as the participation of viewers from other regions. The series lasted a little longer, which helped European fans to get active in time for the final game.

The popularity of semifinal matches on Chinese streaming services can be compared to the channel 虎牙英雄联盟赛事, where official Chinese broadcasts of League of Legends take place. The series between Weibo Gaming and Bilibili Gaming scored 97.4 million Heat Index. On the next day, the match between JD Gaming and T1 had 106.1 million Heat Index. These are the 4th and 5th results for this channel on the Huya service. The highest figure was recorded during the Worlds 2021 grand finals — 251.6 million Heat Index.

The 2023 World Championship has taken third place among all esports tournaments (excluding Chinese streaming platforms) with 4.3 million Peak Viewers. The current world championship still has a chance to set a new record in this regard. This will be greatly aided by T1's appearance in the Grand Final and its play in front of fans at the "home" stadium.

Most popular esports tournaments by Peak Viewers

The decisive match of the 2023 World Championship will be held on November 19 at the Gocheok Sky Dome. The fate of the Cup will be determined in a series of up to three wins between T1 and JD Gaming. Follow the tournament on the coverage page.