LCS bows to fans’ demands and makes changes to the broadcast start times.
After a great tenth-year anniversary in 2022, LCS had a bit of a rough start to 2023. With Riot’s structuring of their esports broadcasts, LCS lost their weekend slot to Valorant, with the NA LoL league pushed to Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fans become unhappy with the decision, especially so once the 12 am local start times were announced. With multiple faces on the analyst and casting desks also leaving the show, Riot received a lot of community backlash.
Eventually, the President of Esports at Riot Games, John Needham, and the Global Head of League of Legends Esports, Naz Aletaha, revealed in a Travis Gafford interview the broadcast starting times would change to 2 pm PT (5 pm ET). The change was made after Riot received feedback from the North American community, according to Aletaha, who went on to say they were grateful for the feedback.
LCS starts at 2 pm PT with familiar faces on the broadcast
We also got a lot more information about the league start today. According to a new lolesports.com article, LCS 2023 Spring Split will kick off on January 26. All weekday matches will begin at 2 pm PT (5 pm ET) after a 30-minute pre-show. The tickets are on sale for fans who hope to catch games live at the newly named Riot Games Arena, or alternatively, you can find the main broadcast streams on lolesports.com, YouTube, Twitch, or a Watch Party of your choice.
Outside of the day and time, the broadcast will also be different in its style. In an attempt to separate from the mold of traditional sports broadcasts, LCS will try to show a new product to viewers. The new show will try to involve the players and their narratives a lot more, an effort we’ve already seen during last Summer. LCS also promises more gameplay breakdowns, Player Profiles and Eyes On series, the Dive podcast with a variety of guests, and original sketches from analysts and casters.
Talking about casters, with both Julian “Pastrytime” Carr and David “Phreak” Turley leaving the LCS, the broadcast was in need of a replacement. Marc “Raafaa” Alexander Arrambide will join to crew after casting LCS Academy for the last couple of years. The rest of the cast will be completed by returning faces from the last year’s broadcast team.
LCS Finals Weekends in 2023 will be held in North Carolina and New Jersey
Another big news in the article was the announcement of roadshow cities in 2023. Despite the expectations of a Finals in Canada after the Worlds 2022 leg scheduled there got canceled, Canada will not be a destination. The 2023 Spring Finals is headed to Raleigh, North Carolina (PNC Arena), while Newark, New Jersey (Prudential Center) will be the host of the 2023 Summer Finals. The Finals Weekend dates are April 8-9 for Spring and August 19-20 for Summer.
The tickets for the LCS Spring Finals will go on sale on the Opening Day of Spring Split with a 24-hour limited presale. The general sale will open on Friday, January 27 at 10 am PT (1:00 pm ET).
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