Cover-Credits:
- The MSC 2021 peaked at over 2.2 million viewers with over 514,618 average views.
- The most viewed match was EVOS Legends vs Execration in the lower bracket finals which garnered 2,284,012 viewers.
- Three of the most-watched matches were for EVOS Legends - a team from Indonesia.
The recently concluded Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup 2021 (MSC 2021) proved to be one of the most highly-anticipated MLBB esports competitions, peaking at over 2.2 million viewers with over 514,618 average views, according to Esports Charts. The most viewed match throughout the tournament was EVOS Legends vs Execration in the lower bracket finals which garnered 2,284,012 viewers, surpassing the view count of the grand finals. Execration emerged as the champions of MSC 2021 after defeating Blacklist International in an intense and action-packed BO5 match with a score of 4-1.
RELATED: Execration Are the Champions of the MSC 2021
A New Viewership Record For MSC 2021
According to Esports Charts, the lower bracket match between EVOS Legends and Execration peaked at 2,284,012 viewers. This makes the MSC 2021, the second most viewed Mobile Legends esports tournament in Southeast Asia, beaten only by the M2 World Championship which had a peak viewership of 3 million.
Three of the most-watched matches were for EVOS Legends - a team from Indonesia. This, combined with the fans from the Philippines who cheered for their teams (Execration and Blacklist International) resulted in a massive viewership spike.
RELATED: Execration Shares the Key to Defeating Blacklist International at the MSC 2021
The Rise of Mobile Legends’ Esports Scene
The MSC 2021 wasn’t the first time a Mobile Legends esports event managed to garner millions of views. In January 2021, the M2 World Championship peaked at 3 million viewers, surpassing other popular esports events like DOTA2’s The International 2019, CS: GO’s IEM Katowice 2020, and Twitch Rivals Valorant. This put the tournament just behind the world’s most-watched esports event - the League of Legends’ World Championship 2020 which had about 800,000 more views according to Esports Charts.
This year’s MPL tournament for Indonesia and the Philippines also saw sizable viewership. The match between EVOS Legends and Bigetron Alpha at the grand finals of the MPL ID Season 7 peaked at 1.8 million viewers. Meanwhile, the grand finals match between Execration and Blacklist International in the MPL PH Season 7 garnered 1.4 million peak viewers. This goes to show how big the fan base for these two regions is compared to other SEA regions.
Mobile Legends has been seeing a strong consistent viewership in its esports events in the past year. It will be interesting to see if the upcoming tournaments can maintain this level of dominance, especially with the launch of its new rising competitor League of Legends: Wild Rift.
