As gaming has increased, so has the desire to watch and enjoy professional gaming. People love watching other people play at the peak level of skill, whether that be sports, hobbies, or gaming.
Naturally, as a result, eSports have risen in popularity as gaming has risen in popularity.
The eSports industry has seen tremendous growth over the years both in terms of viewership and revenue. The increasing viewership is what mainly contributed to the revenue growth – and it’s not just because those viewers are generating revenue. Brands, seeing the potential of reaching a large and engaged audience, are investing in eSports marketing both directly and indirectly (Marketing Hub).
According to Newzoo, a leading global provider of games and esports analytics, there has been an average revenue increase of more than 30% annually. In 2018, the average year-on-year increase in total revenue was 38.2% and the total revenue in dollars was $906 million. Newzoo’s analysis too attributes a large portion of it resulted from brand contributions – direct and indirect brand investments and advertising.
Newzoo still expects the esports industry to cross the billion-dollar threshold in 2019, with revenues projected to hit $1.1 billion. Esports should be leveraged for these main reasons:
- eSports viewership is growing
- eSports awareness is increasing
- There is a rise of platforms offering live eSport coverage
- People are spending more time watching eSports
- eSports revenue is growing and brand marketing has been a huge contributor
Since most of this growth has been attributed to brand ambassadorship and advertising, I’m curious about whether the use of influencer marketing (use of celebrities/influencers) has and can play a role in amplifying awareness and viewership of eSports.
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References
The Incredible Growth of eSports in 2019 [ 2019 eSports Stats]. (2019, March 28). Retrieved from https://influencermarketinghub.com/growth-of-esports-in-2019-stats/
Global Esports Economy Will Top $1 Billion for the First Time in 2019. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/newzoo-global-esports-economy-will-top-1-billion-for-the-first-time-in-2019/
Author Details
Victoria Mutai – Researcher at ThreeWin Limited.
