The first playoffs for League of Legends Americas (LTA) have wrapped up with concerning viewership numbers. English-language peak viewership hit just 98,000 viewers, a massive 58% drop from the LCS Summer 2024 Playoffs which peaked at 234,000.
The data comes from esports commentator Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles, who shared viewership tracking information showing the steep decline. These numbers include co-streaming audiences, meaning even with popular content creators broadcasting the matches, the combined English viewership couldn’t match last year’s levels.
LTA represents Riot Games’ ambitious merger of the North American LCS and Brazil’s CBLOL into one unified league. The new structure splits teams into North and South divisions, with limited cross-regional play during the regular season. This was the first competitive year under the new banner.
The viewership drop wasn’t limited to English broadcasts. Community members report that Brazilian viewership also fell compared to CBLOL’s previous numbers, suggesting the rebrand has struggled to connect with fans across multiple markets.
Format changes appear to have played a role in the decline. The playoffs featured a brief Swiss-style stage to determine seeding, which fans criticized as unsatisfying. The limited interaction between North and South divisions until late in the season meant the “Americas” branding felt hollow to many viewers.
When your rebrand hits different (and not in a good way)
The loss of distinct regional identities seems to have hurt fan investment. Where LCS and CBLOL each had their own established brands and rivalries, LTA’s combined approach left some viewers confused about what exactly they were watching. MonteCristo warned that without a viewership recovery, the English-language market for North American League of Legends could be “effectively destroyed” by the merger’s poor reception.
For a league hoping to unite two regions and grow its audience, starting with a 58% viewership drop sends a clear message that something isn’t working. Whether Riot can adjust the format and rebuild fan interest remains to be seen.
