The five-match thriller in the League of Legends 2024 Mid-Season Invitational match between T1 and G2 Esports shattered the record for highest peak viewership, with 2.49 million people tuning in from across the world to watch the series.
The 2024 MSI continues the tradition of breaking past viewership records, but this year, the record has been surpassed much earlier than people expected. Last year, the upper-bracket semi-final match between T1 and JD Gaming had a peak viewership of 2.29 million, where the winner of the game secured a place in the 2023 MSI finals.
Usually, these viewership records are broken later in the tournament when heavy stakes are on the line: now, T1 versus G2 has already set a new benchmark, according to Esports Charts.
Unsurprisingly, T1 is almost always a part of these record-breaking matches, featuring on four out of five occasions since 2019. Faker’s name has been synonymous with League of Legends esports, and the veteran still draws viewership internationally and domestically. The recent 2024 LCK Spring Split also broke viewership records, showing a testament to the team’s evergreen popularity.
T1’s opponents also contributed to the view count. The fifth-highest MSI peak viewership in 2019 featured the same matchup against T1 and G2 when the European side defeated the Korean juggernauts and went on to win their first-ever MSI title. It is a rivalry that stood the test of time. G2 Esports and T1 may very well face off again in this year’s tournament, and if they do, they have a solid chance to beat the viewership record again.
