Posted in: eSports, Games, League of Legends, News, Riot Games, Video Games | Tagged: espn, eSports, League of Legends

League of Legends' Spring Split Series Finds Home on ESPN

Published Wed, 08 Apr 2020 16:40:33 -0500

Last updated Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:57:42 -0500

If you're looking to watch the League of Legends' 2020 Championship Series in the United States, you're in luck. ESPN will be broadcasting the event stateside. Announced earlier today, five matches from the LCS will air on ESPN2. ESPN2 is already home to esports coverage, so the LCS will fit right in here. "We're excited to work with Riot Games to create innovative content opportunities around this amazing franchise system," said John Lasker, vice president of digital programming at ESPN. "Showcasing one of the most popular esports in the world with the LCS' Spring Split playoffs allows ESPN to serve new audiences."

Riot Games Suspends "League Of Legends" LCS Over Coronavirus — Credit: Riot Games

The first match of the series will feature 100 Thieves against TSM on Wednesday, April 8th, and 4pm ET. If you can't watch the match today, you can watch it at a later time through the ESPN app. This series is one of the biggest LoL competitions thus far this year. The winner from the playoffs will represent North America in the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational this July. With a lack of current sports coverage happening due to current events, ESPN has been hit hard. However, they have adapted and have upped their esports coverage to fill in the gaps in scheduling. ESPN has run marathons of NBA 2K and Madden to fill that void only sports can fill. That being said, this is also an excellent chance for ESPN to cater to a broader range of audiences, bridging the gap between physical sports and esports.

The full schedule for the LoL Spring Split Series is as follows:

100 Thieves vs. TSM: April 8th, 4PM ET
Evil Geniuses vs. Cloud9: April 11th, 4PM ET
Flyquest vs. Winner Match 4: April 12th, 4PM ET
Third Place Match Up: April 18th, 4PM ET
LCS Spring Split Championship: April 19th, 4PM ET

As we already know, League of Legends has moved all of its competitions to online only. The LoL Pro League has even pushed it's start date back to April 20th, but it will commence from there. While esports has taken a minor hit, it's important to note (and celebrate) that everything can be done online, to help maintain social distancing.

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