The LCS playoffs are coming to television on ESPN
The remainder of the 2020 LCS Spring Split playoffs will be broadcast on ESPN television networks, the LCS revealed
through Twitter.
Starting on April 11, the LCS games are coming to ESPN2. The deal will run through April 19 when the LCS will crown a new spring champion. The full schedule goes as follow:
- April 11, Evil Geniuses vs. Cloud9, 3pm CT
- April 12, FlyQuest vs. Team SoloMid, 3pm CT
- April 18, Third-place matchup, 3pm CT
- April 19, LCS finals, TBD
Every series is played to the best-of-five. The VOD will be available on the ESPN App immediately after the final game each day. The LCS will continue to broadcast through LoL Esports, Twitch, and YouTube. On April 8, the LCS ran a test on the ESPN App with the series between 100 Thieves and TSM. The only difference is the new three-minute pauses between games.
Esports take over amidst coronavirus quarantine
The deal comes at a unique time. The current global situation with the ongoing pandemic has affected every televised traditional sport, so traditional broadcast networks are in desperate need of content to fill the time. Esports is one of the few competitive industries that is still running with few interruptions.
ESPN is no stranger to esports, as the network aired the Overwatch League matches throughout 2019. In Latin America, ESPN has previously hosted “ESPN Challenge: Road to League of Legends”, a reality competition where players battled for a chance to be scouted by a professional team.
Riot Games and ESPN partnered in 2019 during the World Championship through the ESPN App and on ESPN+. Now, League of Legends is reaching television screens across the United States on a bigger venue than ever before.
This could be the start of a long partnership between Riot Games and ESPN.
Esports are slowly taking over traditional media and reaching new audiences. In 2018, 6 billion hours were dedicated to watching professional gaming. That number is expected to increase to 20 billion in 2021.
According to a projection by Syracuse University, in 2021, esports are projected to have more viewers than every professional sports league except for the NFL.
Read Also
Esports Betting
Cloud9 vs LYON: Best Betting Odds and Picks for LCS 2026 Lower Bracket Final
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 LCS Summer playoffs are close to concluding, but Cloud9 and LYON will battle it out to decide the grand final matchup. Only one spot is left in the 2026 LCS grand final. Cloud9 and LYON have done well to make it this far, even if LYON is the favorite to win the match. Still, looking at the recent match histories of both teams, there’s a good chance that ...
League of Legends
T1 Esports Challengers vs Galions: WSCI Semifinals best bets and predictions
Wasif Ahmed
T1 Esports Challengers faces Galions in the World Star Challengers Invitational semifinals. Honoring their organisation, T1.EA is one of the two favorites to win the event, easily defeating every opponent they’ve faced so far. Against them, Galions also made quick work of their Korean quarterfinal opponent. Here are our predictions and the best bets for T1.EA vs GL. The org of LoL champions is also a stronghold in tier 2. ...
League of Legends
Solary vs DN Soopers Challengers WSCI Semi-Finals: Bets and Predictions
Ben Boland
Solary goes up against DN Soopers Challengers in the semi-finals of the World Star Challengers Invitational 2026, the inaugural edition of the tier 2 World Championship. Europe and Korea have been dominating the tournament, and only those two regions remain in the semi-finals. This is the first time that secondary leagues face off internationally, making this the first true test of those regions’ strengths. Is the LFL the best tier ...
League of Legends
LYON vs Shopify Rebellion LCS playoffs lower bracket: Best bets and predictions
Ben Boland
LYON faces Shopify Rebellion in the lower bracket of the LCS Summer Playoffs 2026. The winner of this match claims North America’s final spot at the 2026 League of Legends World Championship, while the loser ends their season in fourth place. Neither team should have been in this spot. LYON entered the playoffs as the favorite and they’re now in the loser’s bracket, and SR was expected to lose much ...
League of Legends
Team Liquid vs Cloud9 LCS Playoffs Upper Bracket Finals: Bets and Predictions
Ben Boland
The LCS Upper Bracket finals are one many would not have predicted. Team Liquid takes on Cloud9 to see which team will lock in their spot in the Worlds 2026 Swiss stage and the LCS Summer Grand Finals. League of Legends bettors are in for a treat in this best-of-five, with many good bets available. Let’s take a look at some of the best bets for the Cloud9 vs. Team ...
League of Legends
The LEC’s Viewership Is Down 20% From Summer 2025
Ben Boland
As the Summer Split has concluded, the results are out — and the LEC’s viewership keeps declining for the second year in a row. Even though Europe has achieved strong results this year, fewer viewers follow these teams regionally afterwards. According to Escharts, the LoL European league has recorded 173,989 average viewers in Summer 2026, and 438,821 peak viewers. In 2025, the LEC had an average viewership of 213,292 with ...
League of Legends
Is Voice Chat Coming to League of Legends in 2026?
Ben Boland
After a decade of being opposed to it, Riot has finally taken steps to implement voice chat in League of Legends. However, the launch of voice chat in LoL has been delayed as the feature is experiencing setbacks. Here’s a rundown of the situation. Earlier this year, players discovered voice chat-related files on the LoL Player Beta Environment (PBE). Following them, Riot communicated on March 13 that they were now ...
