The Northern League Championship (NLC), Europe’s rising League of Legends competition, has experienced a significant downturn in viewership this Spring. According to new data released by Esports Charts. Following a record-breaking Winter 2025 season that captured the attention of the European esports community, the Spring tournament has failed to maintain momentum despite retaining the same format, teams, and community casting structure.
After completing the group stage and tiebreakers, NLC Spring 2025 has recorded a 45% decrease in total hours watched compared to the Winter season. Which had amassed over 1 million hours. Even more concerning for organizers, peak concurrent viewership has dropped by half, while average viewers per match have fallen by 42%.
The viewership decline extends across all major broadcasting channels. British streamer Marc “Caedrel” Lamont, whose community casting helped propel the Winter season to new heights, has seen his peak viewership plummet from 159,067 to just 67,513 concurrent viewers. His average viewership has decreased by nearly 24%.
popular streamers
Other popular streamers have experienced even steeper declines. Channels hosted by former pro players Martin “Rekkles” Larsson and Simon “Thebausffs” Hofverberg have lost approximately 50% of their average viewership. Mirroring the drop seen on the official nlclol Twitch channel.
The language distribution of viewership has also shifted dramatically. English-language broadcasts, which reached a peak of 203,312 concurrent viewers during the Winter group stage, have not exceeded 97,497 this Spring. German viewership has similarly declined, with prominent streamer Frederik “Noway4u_sir” Hinteregger only covering tiebreaker matches at half his previous viewership numbers. Another popular German broadcaster, Niklot “Tolkin” Stüber, has opted not to cover the NLC at all this season. Despite ranking among the top five community casters by average viewership last season.
Industry analysts point to several factors contributing to this viewership slump. The dominant performance of Los Ratones, while impressive, may have reduced competitive interest as the team has clearly outgrown the regional competition following their success at EMEA Masters Winter 2025. Additionally, with the Spring season offering two qualification spots for EMEA Masters Spring 2025 instead of just one, the domestic stakes appear lower, potentially diluting viewer engagement.
The playoffs, scheduled for April 16 to June 1, will be a critical test for the NLC’s viewership recovery. Esports Charts will continue tracking the tournament’s performance through its dedicated reporting page as organizers look to recapture the Winter season’s success and maintain the NLC’s position among Europe’s top League of Legends competitions.
Lex Northbyte 
Adrian Kovacs