A national anthem sung by thousands of people gathered in one place will immediately make you think of a Football World Cup, or the Olympic Games, but that is not the case. You are here at the AccorHotels Arena Paris for the European Final of the very famous League of Legends, the MOBA that has more than 100 million unique players. An event that brought together the best European players, 20,000 spectators in one place, added to the 400,000 online spectators. A figure that could make your head spin but represents very little compared to the world championship which brought together 43 million unique spectators with a peak of 14.7 million for the final.
We can also see that the competition earned 6.7 million dollars for the players. Far more than an ephemeral phenomenon, it is an entire economy generated by esport that is reshaping the contours of a world as we know it and the sports market. Thus, these competitions and this extraordinary sport represent a market to be conquered for many economic actors.
Why such covetousness?
While the firm Deloitte estimated the eSport market at 500 million dollars for 2016, superdatasearch reveals that this estimate was largely exceeded with a market that generated 892.8 million dollars, a 19% increase compared to the previous year. Thus, the same study reveals that generated revenues should exceed one billion dollars from 2017 to reach 1.1 billion dollars in 2018.
Revenues that come in part from sponsoring, merchandising, the game publishers themselves, but also from ticket sales and TV rights. Regarding this last point, competitions are mostly watched on webtv platforms like Twitch (acquired for 1 billion dollars by Amazon). Since then, Beinsport, Canal+, l’Equipe 21, SFR, have created their programming unit and their channel to capture part of this audience. In the United Kingdom, the 100% esport channel GINX was created by SKY TV and ITV. Traditional media do not want to miss the esport train and even less the resulting revenue. This would allow them to reach a target that is very difficult to hit and the base of esport, namely millennials.
We must also mention Orange, ASUS among others who want to position themselves as equipment suppliers for pro gamers and therefore for esport. There are therefore no more differences with traditional sports on this point. La Française des Jeux, known for its quasi-monopoly on games and betting in France, has since become a tournament organizer.
What about betting?
Exactly, whoever says games and money can think of betting, and it is no coincidence if Pinnacle, Bet365, and Betway allow betting on esport competitions. There are no official figures on the subject because the phenomenon may seem embryonic, but we can easily imagine that these bets reach peaks given the impressive growth of esport worldwide.
In terms of audience, the same New York firm indicates that nearly 214 million people watch esport and will number 303 million by 2019. An audience that is 85% male and quite young as a large part is between 18 and 34 years old. This rapidly growing audience is divided into two parts: on one side, people who regularly follow competitions and are comparable to fans, and on the other, a more occasional audience that also tends to grow.
Geographically, Asia (328 million) remains the largest market followed closely by North America (275 million) and Europe following closely (269 million).
How to approach esport without talking about its structures and players?
Faker, the star of Pro Gamers, considered a divinity (in the literal sense of the term) is the most successful player on the planet. This young South Korean has a full career at only 21 years old. He left high school to join the team SKT T1.
Being a pro gamer is not improvised but learned over time with passion as the engine. Through training sessions, they improve, and it is in Gaming Houses that practices are executed. In these places, players train between 35 and 50 hours per week to prepare for competitions. With coaches provided, their goal is to win as many trophies as possible like any traditional sports team. It is therefore not surprising to see that a high school in Stockholm has integrated eSport into its students’ curriculum.
In the United States, pro gamers receive scholarships just like the quarterback of the university team or the center of the basketball team. Let’s remember that the United States has recognized eSport as a sport in its own right since 2013. Still in the United States, foreign players can apply for a P-1A visa which is issued only to Athletes.
It is therefore no coincidence if the very famous NBA launches a professional esport championship in 2018 which will be named NBA2K eleague. The latter will consist of 17 teams. NBA glories such as Shaquille O’Neal and Rick Fox have invested in esport just as the famous footballer Ronaldo did before them.
http://www.team-aaa.com/news-37530-0-1-shaquille_o_neal_investit_dans_nrg.html
Many want to be actors in this market. Doubt is no longer allowed:
Esport is a sport!
It does not innovate but does exactly like all major European football teams that have created an esport team. What you are reading is clear: teams, sponsors, betting, dedicated stadiums like the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles. Esport has made its place and continues to grow.
And what about Africa? Where is the African market compared to the rest of the world? …Answer in a few days!
