Preface: The S16 season matches have officially started, and most players have been paying close attention to the recent battles, which have been fiercely contested across all major regions. Since the start of this season, there has been a noticeable decline in overall online engagement. Many fans can feel that the current matches lack excitement, whether it’s the live audience or the enthusiasm in commentary streams; even official directors hesitate to switch to audience shots. In fact, this issue began to surface seriously last season, as revealed by the official documentary of the LNG team, showing that very few spectators actually attended the matches.

LPL’s audience might completely vanish.

Most players are quite familiar with LPL, which used to be a top-tier region with very high attention and popularity. After winning the World Championship, it became the largest region worldwide. Over recent years, LPL has grown rapidly with more teams, but its performance has declined, with many veteran players retiring, causing a sharp drop in the region’s popularity. Not only have player salaries decreased, but even ticket prices have fluctuated. The organizers have tried their best to retain fans, but it feels like too little, too late. The overall hype in the S16 season has dropped significantly again.

Some netizens noticed that neither the official live streams nor the highly popular Dazi Manor have attracted much attention this season. While the live viewer numbers might seem okay, there are almost no live comments. Everyone knows that LPL’s live stream popularity and actual viewer count differ greatly. Overseas platforms update real-time viewer numbers, but domestic platforms calculate popularity using various data metrics, which don’t reflect the true number of viewers. Additionally, some viewers mentioned that official directors now rarely switch to audience shots or show wide-angle views, probably because few people are willing to pay for watching live.

Moreover, viewers who have watched the matches can feel that the opening cheers have drastically diminished. Previously, teams had distinct fan groups, and there were even moments when two factions cheered against each other, with a third faction from LGD joining in. Now, the cheering often comes from the same small group, sounding very loud and similar, as if they’re shouting right next to the microphone. Honestly, the peak popularity in recent years was probably during the S13 summer split when Uzi returned; back then, daily viewership reached millions and regular season matches were packed. Now, the numbers have dropped to around 200,000, with extreme fluctuations.

The main reason is that top stars Uzi, TheShy, and JKL are all resting this season, causing many fans to lose interest. Last season, the LNG team’s documentary already exposed LPL’s situation, showing very sparse attendance in the audience seats—sometimes only four or five people per row, many of whom might even be staff. This problem isn’t unique to LPL; LCK’s popularity has also fluctuated greatly. Their venues are smaller, and unless popular teams are playing, few fans attend offline. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have held the recent LCK Cup final in Hong Kong.

Farewell thoughts.

Who would have thought that LPL’s popularity would fluctuate so severely, with even Dazi Manor drawing little attention? Honestly, if Uzi could unite these top stars, the hype might return to the level seen with the “Three Idiots” and TheShy. These retired players can only rely on each other now; it depends on the organizers’ adjustments whether they can bring everyone together.

Dear viewers, what are your thoughts on this matter?