With the rapid advancement of technology, esports have become more accessible and widespread on online platforms. The behavior of fans watching live broadcasts online differs from that of those watching on TV or attending stadium events. To understand the online demand for esports, this study examines the determinants of live esports viewership using advanced data from online platforms. We examined game-level data from the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) from the summer of 2019 to the summer of 2022. We analyzed four dependent variables representing esports online demands—hours watched, peak views, concurrent average views, and view drops—based on several pre-game (outcome uncertainty and team quality), in-game (game quality and upset result), and schedule-related (evening game) variables. Using two-way least squares dummy variable regression models, we identified the key determinants. The results suggest that outcome uncertainty, team quality, game quality, and evening games significantly impact esports online viewership. In addition, in-game factors, such as the sum and difference in kills between teams, attracted more viewers. This indicates that online viewers prefer games with more kills and a closer kill difference between teams.

中文翻译：

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先进数据下在线直播电子竞技收视率的决定因素：《英雄联盟》冠军韩国的案例


随着技术的快速进步，电子竞技在在线平台上变得更加容易和广泛传播。球迷在线观看直播的行为与通过电视观看或参加体育场赛事的行为不同。为了了解电子竞技的在线需求，本研究使用在线平台的高级数据研究了现场电子竞技收视率的决定因素。我们检查了 2019 年夏季至 2022 年夏季英雄联盟冠军韩国 (LCK) 的游戏级别数据。我们分析了代表电子竞技在线需求的四个因变量——观看时长、峰值观看次数、并发平均观看次数和观看次数下降——基于几个赛前（结果不确定性和球队质量）、赛中（比赛质量和爆冷结果）和赛程相关（晚间比赛）变量。使用双向最小二乘虚拟变量回归模型，我们确定了关键的决定因素。结果表明，结果的不确定性、团队质量、比赛质量和晚间比赛显着影响电子竞技在线收视率。此外，游戏中的因素，例如队伍之间的击杀数之和和差值，也吸引了更多的观众。这表明在线观众更喜欢击杀数更多、队伍之间击杀数差距更小的比赛。