First Stand‘s Group Stage is wrapping up, revealing inconsistent viewership for the inaugural international tournament so far.
Day 4 saw new peak viewership, with 832,160 fans watching Hanwha Life Esports compete against Karmine Corp, according to data from Esports Charts. However, the overall viewership at First Stand has been a bit underwhelming thus far.
The Reason For First Stand’s Low Viewership
The opening match for First Stand showed promise, with a peak viewership of over 700,000 watching Team Liquid and Karmine Corp. But the audience numbers have not been consistent.
Likely, the time zone while competing in South Korea has been a big component. Viewers in Europe and North America may have trouble watching mid-week matches that are at these inconvenient times. Esports Charts pointed out that the current peak viewership happened during the final map of the match when fans in Europe woke up.
Another strike against First Stand is that it can feel insignificant. This is a problem that has plagued the initial splits and Mid-Season Invitational in past years. Most fans await the second half of the season when the outcomes determine who will make it to the World Championship. Still, First Stand is a great opportunity to see how the teams stack up against one another early on.
League of Legends is the top esport in terms of viewership in 2025 so far. The LCK Cup 2025 had a peak viewership of over 1.3m. While there’s no concerns with the scene as a whole, this does show how First Stand isn’t continuing that momentum.
