The LCK vs LPL match-up broke record viewership during its T1 vs JDG best-of-five match last weekend.
Only a few days remain before the 2023 World Championship culminates to its Grand Final – the culmination of the most exciting season to date. The popular esports tournament has already garnered millions of views, no small part due to the big-ticket event happening in the birthplace of esports: South Korea.
Despite the highly-anticipated “bo5” between finalists T1 vs WBG still being a few days away, Worlds 2023 has already broken a major record. In a major streaming data service report, the popularity of one of the semifinal bouts surpassed any of its kind in the tournament’s 12-year history. And if you’ve been following the show for a few years, it’s easy to see why.
According to Esports Charts, the T1 vs JDG series back in November 12 became the most-watched semifinals match in esports after it garnered an astounding 4.3 million in overall peak viewership (PV). These numbers were reported on their official website, where it also revealed the number needed for the Worlds 2023 final to surpass for a triple-record.
Some esports records that #Worlds2023 has broken so far:
✅ Most Popular Quarterfinals Match of all-time
✅ Most Popular Semifinals Match of all-time
❓ Most Popular Finals of all-timeDo you think T1 vs WBG can get over 5.4M PV?
➡️ https://t.co/2P8fWFiOhE pic.twitter.com/WhoeGf8K4D— Esports Charts 🇺🇦 (@EsportsCharts) November 16, 2023
The esports popularity tracking website credited the rise in watchers to multiple factors, including T1 playing against an old enemy on their homecourt in Busan. On top of that, much of the hype was generated by the match-up’s storyline. T1 vs JDG pit Faker, T1’s star player in a revenge match against Ruler, who ended T1’s legendary reign back in 2017.
The T1 vs JDG series was an intense struggle for dominance that ultimately ended in Faker and co. pulling a commanding 3-1 win. Through surprise plays, insane predictions and highly experimental team comps, T1 subverted their opponent’s expectations at every turn. Read what went into T1’s exemplar victory in our recap of the most popular semifinal to date!
Tons of JDG fans all around the world also watched the fight go down, as JDG was one tournament win away from completing the “Golden Road”, a rare achievement that saw a team win their domestic tournaments, MSI 2023 and the the biggest LoL championship of the year – Worlds 2023.
When comparing the numbers on Chinese channels, the T1 vs JDG semifinal broke through 106.1 million heat index on the Huya service, less than half of “the highest figure recorded during the Worlds 2021 grand finals — 251.6 million Heat Index.” It’s also worth noting that Korean broadcasts tripled their usual viewership during the semifinal, proving just how important esports is to the culture.
Interested in rooting for a team closer to home? After their elimination from Worlds, numerous teams in the LEC and LCS have started reconstructing their rosters. Player trades and exciting team formations are common during the off-season, so keep track with all of the moving parts and speculations with our official roster tracker.
Out of 22 international teams that qualified for Worlds, only two remain standing. T1, the most decorated roster in Korea who achieved worldwide fame through their star mid-laner Faker is hoping to break their 6-year long curse and finish first on the international stage. In the other corner is Weibo Gaming, a talented roster headed by Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok, who many argue is the best top-laner in the league.
On November 19, the pivotal match of the 2023 World Championship is set to take place at the Gocheok Sky Dome. The outcome of this season’s Summoner’s Cup will be decided through a series of matches, with T1 and Weibo Gaming competing for up to three victories.
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