Mobile Legends Bang Bang, often shortened to “MLBB,” set new viewership records at the 2025 Esports World Cup. MLBB TikTok viewers significantly contributed to this achievement.
With over 1 million viewers coming from the social media platform, esports viewership may be transitioning further afield to dominate new platforms.
MLBB hits new Esports World Cup viewership peak
MLBB at the Esports World Cup concluded on August 2nd, and viewership statistics have now been confirmed. The Mid Season Cup tournament reached 3,067,670 peak viewers, with over 50,000,000 hours watched.
This marks an increase of 28.7% compared to the 2024 Mid Season Cup for peak viewership, and a 72.7% increase in hours watched.
For both MLBB esports and the Esports World Cup, these numbers are incredibly impressive. The only other MLBB broadcasts that regularly reach these heights over a similar event length are the world championship events.
These figures make the MLBB Mid Season Cup the most watched Esports World Cup tournament of all time.
RRQ Hoshi and Selangor Red Giants OG Esports’ Semifinals game was responsible for the highest peak viewership. Selangor Red Giants OG Esports won over RRQ Hoshi, sending them through to the finals.
MLBB was also very consistent in its high viewership across the entire tournament.
Aurora and RRQ Hoshi’s Group Stage match on July 26th caused MLBB Esports World Cup viewership to surge, completely eclipsing other EWC tournaments early in the Mid Season Cup.
MLBB TikTok viewership exceeds 1 million
Esports Charts MLBB Mid Season Cup 2025 statistics tracking determined that two of the major platforms contributing to these high viewership figures were MLBB TikTok viewers and YouTube viewers.
Traditionally, esports tournament broadcasts utilise Twitch and YouTube as their dominant livestreaming platforms. High viewership figures from MLBB TikTok livestreams may indicate that traditional esports tournaments need to invest more in alternative popular platforms.
After the tournament, peak TikTok viewership for the MLBB Mid Season Cup at the Esports World Cup was determined to be 1,289,685.
As of January 2025, Indonesia has the second-largest TikTok audience with an estimated 126 million users. Indonesia also reached a 1,968,523 peak regional viewership for the MLBB Mid-Season Cup.
Therefore, the app’s high usage in Indonesia, combined with MLBB’s popularity in Southeast Asia, was likely a significant contributor to the game’s success with TikTok viewership.
MLBB is extremely popular in Southeast Asia. Team Liquid Philippines were the eventual winners of the Mid Season Cup, and the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia are three of the most successful regions in the esport overall. As a result, rosters from these regions are frequently favourites at MLBB tournaments on esports betting sites.
The largest TikTok regional user base is the United States.
If popular FPS games like Valorant tailored broadcasting for TikTok livestreaming, perhaps they can achieve the same success.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
