It's clear that they're trying to prioritize fan viewership and broadcast while trying to not compromise the integrity of the tournament.
Every match is broadcasted. That's not relatively an easy feat, especially for shooters. In CSGO, some teams often have fallen to low viewership just because there are multiple streams and people tend to gravitate towards the big names.
Will LOCK//IN avoid this issue entirely with every match being streamed? It depends, we'll probably see a fluctuation of viewership for each match, but every team will have the same amount of exposure on a central channel throughout the event.
Imo, growth can be seen later with the International League split starting later this year. I believe LOCK//IN is all about gouging and building interests with the 30 partnered team + 2 Chinese teams (that may or may not get their own league.)
It's hell on the players and management on the team, though.