Esports viewership ELeague ELeague Major drew 228,000 viewers Jan. 29, 2017. Heroes of the Dorm Grand finale on ESPN2 drew 106,000 viewers on April 10. Streaming * Record for Twitch for a single stream; first to break 1 million
| Viewership | |
| ELeague Season 1 | 25 million live video streams on Twitch for live-event coverage |
| ELeague Major | 1.026 million concurrents for final.* For the seven-day major, there were 60 million video streams across Twitch, YouTube and GOTV |
Source: Austin Karp, SportsBusiness Daily
| Viewership | |
| ELeague Season 1 | 25 million live video streams on Twitch for live-event coverage |
| ELeague Major | 1.026 million concurrents for final.* For the seven-day major, there were 60 million video streams across Twitch, YouTube and GOTV |
Importance in watching esports Sports fans who have watched and/or played esports were asked for the top reasons for watching. There was no limit on the number of factors they could name. Source: Simmons Research “Sports Fan and Engagement Study,” 2016
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How esports fans watch traditional sports Esports fans are heavy cross-platform consumers of traditional sports, especially viewing on PC or smartphones in addition to TV.
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Snapshots from the esports market from intelligence firm Newzoo The media rights trade in esports is becoming a serious business and is expected to grow from $50 million in 2016 to close to $340 million in 2020. Further, even more major nonendemic brands will close big sponsorship deals with teams, leagues and events. Nike, Adidas and Under Armour will battle it out for jerseys in 2017. Recent consolidations in the media space that are expected to affect esports: The esports economy is projected to generate $696 million in 2017, a year-over-year growth rate of 41.3 percent. Revenue will grow with a compound annual growth rate (2015-20) of 35.6 percent to reach $1.49 billion in 2020. |
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The number of esports participants globally will reach 58.4 million this year, up from 49.8 million in 2016. The Esports Enthusiast audience, defined as “frequent viewers and active participants,” skews young and male. Half of them are ages 21-35 and 71 percent of them are men. Total prize money in 2016 reached $93.7 million, up from $65.9 million in 2015, or an increase of 42 percent. The largest prize pool was awarded by The International with a record $20.8 million, or 22 percent of the global total. For the first time, the League of Legends World Championship allowed consumer contributions, driving prize money to more than $5 million. Both events were held in North America, resulting in a 56 percent share of global prize money generated from this region. Source: Newzoo’s 2017 Global Esports Market Report |
Presented here are the responses from that fan base when asked, “Through which of the following do you watch or view traditional sports events?”
| Platform used to watch traditional sports | Traditional sports fans | Esports fans who are avid traditional sports fans |
| Cable/satellite TV | 79% | 64% |
| Desktop/laptop computer | 28% | 49% |
| Smartphone | 18% | 33% |
| Streaming media player | 12% | 20% |
| Tablet | 10% | 24% |
| Gaming console | 6% | 20% |
Drivers of future esports engagement — esports fans Fans continue to seek simplicity and accessibility in esports, with the desire for more live and social media-related interactivity on the rise. Presented here are the responses from that fan base when asked, “Which of the following do you feel would make you engage with esports more in the future?” Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.
| Simpler/easier to access | 43% |
| More accessible via mainstream media | 40% |
| Ability to participate/compete | 33% |
| More live events/ interactions | 32% |
| More social interactions | 31% |
| More games involved/featured | 32% |
| More prominent part of pop culture | 31% |
| More betting/fantasy offerings | 17% |
Source: Nielsen eSports Report
| Simpler/easier to access | 43% |
| More accessible via mainstream media | 40% |
| Ability to participate/compete | 33% |
| More live events/ interactions | 32% |
| More social interactions | 31% |
| More games involved/featured | 32% |
| More prominent part of pop culture | 31% |
| More betting/fantasy offerings | 17% |
| Simpler/easier to access | 43% |
| More accessible via mainstream media | 40% |
| Ability to participate/compete | 33% |
| More live events/ interactions | 32% |
| More social interactions | 31% |
| More games involved/featured | 32% |
| More prominent part of pop culture | 31% |
| More betting/fantasy offerings | 17% |
As of press time, three events in 2017 have already had a total prize pool of at least $200,000.
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Eleague Major Pool: $1 million |
Madden Bowl Live Finals Pool: $250,000 |
CWL Atlanta Open Pool: $200,000 |
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Source: esportsearnings.com; SBJ research
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Eleague Major Pool: $1 million |
Madden Bowl Live Finals Pool: $250,000 |
CWL Atlanta Open Pool: $200,000 |
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