LCK Viewership Hits All-Time High at Average of 714,000…Up 13% From Last Year

LCK average minute audience hit an all-time high since tracking began, reaching 714,000. It was up 13% from the previous year.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-line summary

The 2026 LCK average minute audience was 714,000, an all-time high and the first time it has passed 700,000 since tracking began.
It rose 13% year over year and is about 2.19 times the 326,000 recorded when the franchise launched in 2021.
Reports said peak concurrent viewership for the finals rose 24%, and average overseas minute audience rose 20%.

When the LCK launched as a franchise in 2021, its average minute audience was 326,000. This year it is 714,000.GameMeca reports that this is the first time the figure has passed 700,000 since it began being tracked, and it is an all-time high. Exactly why the number has grown so much is hard to pin down. Changes in broadcast channels and rising overseas viewership have been cited, but no data on each factor's contribution has been confirmed.

E-Today reports that on October 14, Riot Games released viewing metrics for the LCK season held from April 1 to September 13. Average minute audience (AMA) is the average of the number of people watching at the same time, minute by minute. On the same day Game Donga described AMA as 'total minutes watched.' Cumulative watch time and average viewer count are different concepts. This article follows the average viewer count definition.

LCK viewership of 714,000, 2.19 times the 2021 level

Comparison of LCK average minute audience

Season	Average minute audience (people)	Source
2021 (franchise launch)	326,000	GameMeca report
2025	About 632,000	Back-calculated from 2026 figure ÷ 1.13 (not an official announcement)
2026	714,000	Riot Games announcement; all-time high since tracking began

Dividing 714,000 people by 326,000 people gives about 2.19. It means 'grew to 2.19 times,' not 'grew 219%.' Converted to a growth rate, it is about 119%. The number of added viewers over five years is 388,000 people.

The year-over-year growth rate was announced as 13%. Working backward by dividing 714,000 by 1.13 gives about 632,000, which implies roughly 82,000 people were added in one year. The two outlets' figures match because both relayed a single Riot Games announcement.

Chzzk and SOOP broadcasts and 20% growth in overseas viewing

Domestic broadcast channels have also changed. LoL Esports official guidance says this year's live Korean-language broadcasts air on Chzzk and SOOP platforms. English broadcasts are also available on YouTube and Twitch. Some reports said viewers 'must find the two platforms anywhere in the world,' but the official guidance shows the change to these two platforms applies only to Korean-language broadcasts.

There are also overseas figures. E-Today reported that average minute overseas viewership reached 504,000, up 20% from the previous year. That is higher than the overall growth rate of 13%. Working backward the same way, last year's overseas figure was about 420,000, implying roughly 84,000 more in one year. That is nearly the same size as the total increase of about 82,000.

However, the overseas figure has not been cross-checked against other outlets, and there is no per-platform contribution data, so the 'broadcast switch effect' cannot be confirmed. Peak concurrent viewership (PCU) for the finals rose 24% from the previous year. However, a momentary peak and a season average are different metrics, so the two numbers cannot be compared directly.

The prize money situation is different from the viewing record. According to Kookmin Ilbo and Riot Games' season guidance, this year the LCK eliminated regional split prize money. This should not be read as meaning all prize money has been eliminated, including international tournaments, lower leagues, and individual awards. To determine which factor drove the growth, platform-level figures and raw data would be needed. The October 14 announcement coverage did not include this data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How many people watched the LCK this year?

According to Riot Games' announcement, the 2026 LCK average minute audience was 714,000. It was up 13% from the previous year and is the highest since tracking began.

Q. What is the claim that LCK viewership 'doubled' compared to?

It compares against the 2021 average minute audience of 326,000, the year the franchise was launched. More precisely, it means it grew to about 2.19 times that level, not that it rose 219%.

Q. Where can I watch LCK Korean-language broadcasts?

According to official guidance, Korean-language live broadcasts can be watched on Chzzk and SOOP. English live broadcasts are also available on YouTube and Twitch in addition to those two platforms.

Related official sites

LoL Esports official website — Check LCK schedules, results, and official announcements
SOOP LCK official broadcast guide — Guide to watching Korean-language live broadcasts

Representative image · Archival photo · Not a photo of the current match shown in this article · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Fomos Esports), CC BY 3.0