In a monumental milestone, the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League has become the first esports series in history to reach a whopping one billion hours watched. This data comes from Esports Charts, which highlighted that records counting these figures stretch back to 2016.
This means that the MPL has beaten the League of Legends World Championship, the LCK, the Valorant Champions Tour, and The International to this sweet record – but they’re not too far behind. It’s expected that League Worlds will hit the one billion mark before the current tournament is up.
Immense Numbers
In the report published by Esports Charts, we get a look at some solid comparisons that highlight just how immense this achievement is for the MPL.
To contextualise ML:BB’s achievement in the mobile gaming industry, the MPL has received about quadruple the viewership of the PUBG Mobile Pro League, which has a similar total Airtime to the MPL. It also recorded more than triple the watch time of Twitch Rivals, which not only has over 600 tournaments but appeals to the large, loyal audiences of famous internet personalities.
The success of ML:BB is a testament to the power of mobile gaming. We recently published a report outlining the growth of mobile esports viewership in the last few months – and it’s a figure that continues to grow.
Despite the game’s success, it’s hampered slightly by the lack of a profile outside of the Asian markets. It’s extremely popular in Indonesia and the Philippines, plus it’s building a following in LATAM and MENA, but it hasn’t hit with the EU and NA audiences or pro players yet.
Moonton Games continues to work on that, though. The MPL has been around since 2017, and it continues to expand today.
Are you a fan of the MPL? Let us know on the Insider Gaming forum.
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