2025 LTA Finals sees far lower viewership than 2024 LCS Finals

The LTA Finals recorded far fewer viewers than LCS final in the summer of 2024, leaving some fans worried about the new organization and its future viewership.

The League of Legends Championship of the Americas (LTA) just concluded its first big event. Team Liquid became the inaugural LTA champion after winning 3-0 over 100 Thieves in the LTA Cross-Conference grand final featuring two LTA North teams. The results did not shock veteran fans of the scene, as LTA North sides were heavily favored over their LTA South counterparts and 100 Thieves has an unfortunate track record of going 0-3 during finals.

While certainly a milestone event, the LTA remains controversial for LoL fans. Decisions such as the short first split format that saw few games played and the apparent skill gap between North and South teams left many doubting the LTA’s quality.  The LTA Finals’ viewership numbers were dramatically lower than numbers showcased by the LCS and CBLoL prior to their combining together, leaving audiences even more concerned.

How many viewers watched the LTA Finals 2025?

The 2025 LTA Finals peaked at around 166,000 concurrent viewers watching.  The underwhelming viewership was already apparent earlier in the month, as the new LTA North series underperformed with fewer than 150,000 viewers peaking heading into the Cross-Conference event. LTA South was slightly higher, edging out LTA North with around 162,000 peak viewers.

100T vs TL – 2025 LTA Split 1 Finals

The LCS Spring Finals in 2024, played between Team Liquid vs FlyQuest, saw over total 246,000 peak concurrent viewers. The noticeable 33% drop for the LCS and CBLoL replacement did not inspire confidence among fans. Despite Riot’s promises that the LTA would bring fresh approach to the scene, the returns for fans are not yet apparent. Many pointed at the LTA’s new structure as a potential reason, but the biggest factor may have been something else.

LTA Finals streamed simultaneously with LEC Winter Playoffs

The LTA Finals aired simultaneously with the LEC Winter 2025 Playoffs, which may have further affected viewership numbers.  Although the LEC Winter 2025 Playoffs hasn’t even reached its finals, it has already surpassed the top LTA viewership numbers. The LTA 2025 Cross-Conference event peaked with over 291,000 viewers during a quarterfinals series between Cloud9 and LOUD, while the LEC saw a peak of over 592,000 viewers in January before its playoffs had even begun.

During its final years, the LCS began struggling for viewership. Even with the LCS’ shift in branding and its combination with CBLoL into the new LTA, viewership shows that fans still prefer the LEC over the LTA. Many factors come into play in explaining this split in performance, with some citing internal conflicts. The LCS and CBLoL both had well-documented issues prior to their being folded together, with franchises coming and going from the LCS while CBLoL apparently struggled to find financial stability despite heavy fan support domestically.

Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau of Flyquest has posited that North American teams don’t have the same connection with fans as do some European and Asian teams. Recent streamed scrims were one of a variety of attempts by FlyQuest to promote its brand and build a stronger rapport with fans.

In the face of disappointing viewership numbers for LTA North sides and the struggles for LTA South teams in-game, Riot may have to reevaluate its approach with the LTA brand.