The LEC Winter Split concluded on Sunday, March 2, with
Karmine Corp’s dominant victory over G2 Esports. The final drew over 800,000 viewers, witnessing the Blue Wall claim its first title, breaking the split’s previous viewership record—also set by Karmine against G2 in the upper bracket final, which peaked at just under 600,000 viewers. It’s also impressive to see that the five most-watched matches of the split all have one thing in common: Karmine Corp. Reminder that all the statistics presented here do not include Chinese streaming platforms.
The LEC final gathered nearly five times the number of viewers who watched
the LTA Cross Conference final between Team Liquid and 100 Thieves, which had 166,453 viewers. This result is concerning for American leagues, which are losing more and more interest. The LEC is doing better than in previous years, but it is important to acknowledge that these results are largely due to the rise of Karmine Corp in the European
League of Legends elite and the growing popularity of co-streaming, especially by figures like
Marc Robert "Caedrel" Lamont and Kamel "Kameto" Kebir, who regularly surpass the viewership of official broadcasts. This shows the growing interest viewers have in the personalities behind the game, rather than just the game itself.
However, these numbers are still quite far from the 2025 all-competition record,
which is held by the BO5 between T1 and Hanwha Life Esports in Round 1 of the LCK Cup playoffs, drawing nearly 2 million spectators (excluding Chinese streams). Questions about the viability of
LoL esports consumption are becoming more frequent. Some figures within the industry are discussing the need to switch to a paid model to allow organizations to survive and grow more sustainably. However, this model faces resistance from fans, as free esports content is deeply rooted in our habits.
