North America and
Europe have recently seen a tremendous rise in the number of people who watch
eSports online and attend real-life tournaments. Popular digital game titles
like DotA 2 and League of Legends enjoy a massive audience that regularly
watches or participates in competitions. The emergence of competitive gaming
presents publishers with a great new avenue to extend the user experience and
allows brands to engage a generation of consumers that spend little time with
traditional forms of entertainment.
In many ways
competitive gaming seems, at least at first glance, to resemble traditional
sports. But to think that a new phenomenon like eSports can be described in
terms of the old is to misunderstand it entirely. The intersection of
technology, fandom and interactive entertainment is presenting us with new ways
of sharing great experiences on a global scale.
- · Korea and China continue to dominate $612M global eSports market. The ongoing investment in N. America and Europe by digital-only publishers drives overall growth and audience expansion.
- · The global eSports audience is 134 million strong and growing. Investment in innovative business models, platforms and derivative businesses further spurs growth in competitive gaming.
- · Competitive gaming is a marketing strategy, not a revenue driver. In addition to traditional marketing efforts, organizing events and streaming content improves awareness and retention.
- · Thirteen percent (13%) of live-stream viewers watch eSports. Almost half of eSports viewers in the U.S. use Twitch.tv, the world’s largest live streaming site for game content. Roughly half of eSports viewers participate in some type of competitive gaming, mostly online through platforms.
- · Corporate sponsorships total $111 million in North America (2015E). Brand owners and advertisers are expected to adapt to emergent forms of entertainment, which will grow sponsorship deals across the segment.
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