The League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Grand Final between MAD Lions KOI and G2 Esports is an event that holds significant weight in the European League of Legends calendar. Regrettably, during some of the key moments in Game 4, the principal live stream suffered from a disruption, leaving many viewers in the dark.
Teams like Karmine Corp and MAD Lions KOI have developed a substantial fan following, contributing to increased viewership of LEC events. This is in stark contrast to the global narrative around dwindling viewership within the League of Legends sphere.
However, even the surge in viewership could not save the LEC from being heavily impacted by a series of layoffs at Riot Games. Fans and industry insiders alike grew concerned over how the layoffs could affect the quality and consistency of future broadcasts.
Technical issues had been significantly managed since the layoffs, but when the main LEC stream went offline for almost 10 minutes during the final match between G2 and MAD Lions KOI, alarm bells rang. And, while it eventually came back online, many viewers missed out on crucial play sequences from the final game.
LEC Fans Find Alternative Streams as Main Broadcast Falters
Interestingly, the interruption only affected the primary LEC stream. For a short period, the screen goes completely black, and then it was offline for an extended period of time before finally returning when G2 was nearing match victory.
For those who were hosting large gatherings or using smart TVs or console apps, switching to a different stream was a significant challenge; leaving some viewers stuck with no signal.
As a result, it wasn't that everyone was able to catch every moment of the heated match. Furthermore, with the game reaching its climax, even a brief disruption could have caused considerable dissatisfaction among the community.
Over 100k viewers shifted to Caedrel’s stream in the meantime, as his feed remained unbroken. Ironically, the LEC viewership count failed to bounce back for the remainder of the match. It seems this unfortunate incident managed to boost Caedrel's peak viewership to around 175k.
Spectacular Moments Missed in the LEC Grand Final Stream
The timing of the stream interruption was unfortunate at best. Immediately after the live feed collapsed, player 'Yike' from G2 Esports secured a pivotal Pentakill, leading to the turning of the tide in the high-stakes match. With the main broadcast missing one of the crowning moments of the year, it was poor timing.
This episode points to the increasing importance of co-streaming. The co-streamers filled the void left by the main live feed, ensuring that at least some fans could continue following the action.
However, this does highlight an issue: the most engaging moments of a game cannot be missed on the main stream. Given the popularity surrounding co-streamers, it is vital for the game's primary broadcasters to ensure seamless coverage without interruptions.
Considering this incident happened in the backdrop of recent LEC staff layoffs, it draws a clearer picture of the impact of the missing personnel. It is apparent that the reduced team is struggling to maintain high-quality streaming at this large-scale, thus raising concerns about the future of esports broadcasting in Europe.