Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League becomes 1st esports series to reach 1B hours screen time

October 18, 2024 Philippines Esports

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL Philippines) is the very first esports series to reach 1 billion hours of screen time, according to a report.

This was based on data from the Esports Charts database. Esports Charts is one of the largest resources of esports news and data globally.

“Since its inception, the MPL has grown to become one of the industry-leading esports series and some of esports’ largest and most passionate regional audiences. Although the MPL is the first billion-hours-watched event series, it will soon be joined by another circuit,” Esports Charts announced in a statement released on October 16, 2024.

Launched in 2017, the ML:BB Professional League marked the creation of an official elite esports scene for Moonton Games’ popular mobile title. Initially focused on the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, the league has rapidly expanded its reach to encompass additional regions worldwide.

The League of Legends World Championships series currently has 999 million views, followed by Korean league LCK, which has 960 million views.

Esports Charts noted however that MPL and LCK have a “unique advantage” against the annual Worlds series.

“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,” Esports Charts said.

MPL currently has tournaments around Southeast Asia, concentrated on MLBB’s biggest markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines.

The MOBA is played by around 80 million people globally, a chunk of which also have an eye on the esports scene. Websites such as GG.Bet and 1xBET offer chances for users to bet on their favorite teams.