As Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) 2021 drew to a close this week, Execration emerged victorious — defeating its Filipino counterpart Blacklist International in the grand final. While the tournament has created a new rivalry at the top level, MSC 2021 has also set a new peak viewership record of 2,2 million.
While it is a new record, it did not come from the grand final match, but rather from the losers match between EVOS Legends and Execration. According to Esports Charts, it drew 2,284,012 views globally. The result is greater than The International 2019’s peak viewership of 1,968,497, which was a 16 percent increase.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has seen rapid growth. Its esports sector even drew 3,083,245 peak viewers at their international tournament, M2 World Championship, held in January of this year. MSC 2021 is presently the second most-watched MLBB tournament of all time, followed by MPL ID Season 7 and the Filipino division coming in third and fourth place, respectively.
When compared to MSC 2019, MSC 2021 has an 800% increase in viewership. The 2019 edition was a contrast to the previous year’s MSC, which was postponed due to LAN restrictions, while this year’s event was to be placed after a one-year absence of Southeast Asia’s largest MLBB tournament.
The fact that Southeast Asia is the home of MLBB came as the crucial element in the success of MSC 2021. Each nation has a sizable loyal audience, particularly among EVOS Legends and Execration fans, since MLBB is the biggest mobile game in those nations. According to data, Indonesia has a huge 31 million players, with the Philippines coming in second with 25 million.
When compared to MSC 2019, MSC 2021 has an 800% increase in viewership. The 2019 edition was a contrast to the previous year’s MSC, which was postponed due to LAN restrictions. Following a one-year break, Southeast Asia’s greatest MLBB tournament was held online this year to crown the region’s finest team, with the Philippines claiming the title with two representatives in the final, Execration and Blacklist International, with the former lifted the trophy and took home US$70,000 first-place prize.
