The Incredible Growth of eSports [+ eSports Statistics]

Newzoo has expanded on their 2020 Global eSports Review with their ... As we have seen elsewhere, eSports and gaming are more popular than ... Youarehere: InfluencerMarketingHub»InfluencerMarketing»TheIncredibleGrowthofeSports[+eSportsStatistics] byWernerGeyser LastUpdated:July14th,2021 11minread InfluencerMarketing TheeSportsindustryhasseentremendousgrowthovertheyears,bothintermsofviewershipandrevenue.Theincreasingviewershipiswhatmainlycontributedtotherevenuegrowth–andit'snotjustbecausethoseviewersaregeneratingrevenue.Seeingthepotentialofreachingalargeandengagedaudience,brandsare investingineSportsmarketing,bothdirectlyandindirectly.Thishascontributedtorapidrevenuegrowthintheindustry,onlysloweddownbyCOVIDlimitinglargepubliceSportsevents.eSportshasalsoexperiencedgrowthinseveralotheraspects,withmanyoftheminterrelatedinonewayoranother.Inthispost,youwilllearnmoreaboutjusthowmuchtheeSportsindustryisgrowingsoyoucanunderstandhowtoleverageit.Newzoohasexpandedontheir2020GlobaleSportsReviewwiththeir2021GlobalEsports&LiveStreamingMarketReport,whichanalyzesthelatesteSportsandlivestreamingmarkettrendsandmarketdevelopmentstoward2024.TheynowrecognizethesignificantrolethatlivestreamingplaysintheeSportsandgamingworlds.Wesummarizemanyoftheirkeyfindingsinthisarticle.NewzoodefineseSportsasbeing"professionalorsemi-professionalcompetitivegaminginanorganizedformat(tournamentorleague)withaspecificgoal/prize,suchaswinningachampionshiptitleorprizemoney)."TheireSportsstatsweincludehererelatetoprofessionalcompetitivegamingcontentonlyanddon'tincludeamateurcompetitionsorlivestreamingaroundnon-organizedcompetitivegaming.NewzooseparatestheeSportsmarketfromthelive-streamingmarket(akagamingmarket).Forthepurposesofthesestats,NewzooseparateseSportsenthusiastsfromoccasionalviewers.TheydefineeSportsenthusiastsaspeoplewhowatchprofessionaleSportscontentmorethanonceamonthandoccasionalviewersasthosewhowatchprofessionalcontentlessregularlythanthat.NotethatsomeofthestatisticswereportheredifferfromwhatwewroteinanearlierversionofthisarticleduetoachangeinNewzoo'sdefinitionsandrecognitionofwhattheyconsiderprofessionaleSports.TheIncredibleGrowthofeSports[+eSportsStatistics]: eSportsViewershipisGrowingeSportsRevenueGrowthandHowBrandsareContributingtoItGamesLiveStreamingAudienceeSportsAwarenessisIncreasingTheRiseofPlatformsOfferingLiveeSportsCoverageEarningsineSportsTournamentsFrequentlyAskedQuestions eSportsViewershipisGrowingThankstothearrivalofCOVID-19,thenatureofeSportshaschanged.ThelinesbetweeneSports,livestreamingandeveninfluencermarketinghavebecomeblurred.Thepandemicledtoviewingspikesacrossalllivestreamingplatforms.Peoplewererequiredtospendtimeathomeduringthelockdownandsoturnedtolivestreamingtowhileawaytheirtime.WhiletheeSportsmarketfacedchallengesduringthistime,italsosawconsiderablegrowthandexpandedintomarketswheretherehadpreviouslybeenlittleactivity.However,theindustrysufferedfromthecancellationofmanyin-personevents,andsomeinternationaleventshadtobereplacedbyregionalcompetitions.TherehadalreadybeenasignificantincreaseineSportsviewerssince2016–bothoccasionalviewersandenthusiasts,i.e.,viewerswhowatchitregularly.Between2018and2019,therewasa12.3%increaseyearoveryear(usingNewzoo'solddefinitions).InNewzoo's2019adjustedfigures,therewere200.8millionoccasionalviewersand197millioneSportsenthusiasts,makingthetotalaudience397.8million.Theyear-over-yeargrowthcontinuedin2020,with220.5millionoccasionalviewersand215.4millioneSportsenthusiasts,acombinedeSportsaudienceof435.9million.Newzooexpectsgrowthtocontinuethrough2021,with8.7%year-on-yeargrowth,endingtheyearwith240.0millionoccasionalviewersand234.0millioneSportsenthusiasts,atotaleSportsaudienceof474.0million.By2024,NewzoopredictsthattheCompoundAnnualGrowthRate(CAGR)foreSportsenthusiastsfrom2019-2024willbeapproximately7.7%.Theyexpectthatthenumberofoccasionalviewerswillgrowto291.6million.Andthattherewillbe285.7millioneSportsenthusiasts,makingthetotalaudience577.2million.Source:newzoo.comeSportsisgrowingacrosstheglobe.MaturemarketslikeNorthAmericaandWesternEuropearecontinuingtogrow.However,audiencenumbersoverthelastyearweremostaffectedbygrowthmarketsintheMiddleEast,Africa,Asia-Pacific,andLatinAmerica.Inaddition,increaseduseofmobileforstreaminghasdrivendemandinmarketslikeIndiaandBrazil.eSportsRevenueGrowthandHowBrandsareContributingtoItRealizingthepotentialoftappingintotheeSportsmarket,somebrandshavealreadymadesignificanteSportsmarketinginvestments.So,theindustryhasseenanimpressiveincreaseinrevenueinrecentyears.AccordingtotheearlierNewzooanalysis,therewasanaveragerevenueincreaseofmorethan30%annuallyuntil2018.Therateofincreasedecreasedatthispoint;however,eSportsrevenuein2019was$957.5million,stilla23.3%YOYgrowth(andslightlyhigherthanwhatNewzoohadpredicted). Yet,COVID-19hadanoticeableimpactoneSportsrevenue,andNewzoorevisedits2020eSportsrevenueestimatesdownwardfrom$1100.1million(aspredictedinFebruary2020)to$950.3millionglobally.However,eventhispredictionwasn'tpessimisticenough,withactualglobaleSportsrevenuebeing$947.1millionin2020.Thisrepresentedafallof1.1%inYOYrevenues.Thisfallinrevenuepredominantlyoccurredbecausetherewaslimitedin-personattendanceateSportsevents,withrestrictionsonlargegatherings.Aswehaveseenelsewhere,eSportsandgamingaremorepopularthanever–thereare,however,COVID-relatedrestrictionsonrevenuestreamsatthemoment.However,2021islookingmorefavorableintermsofeSportsrevenuegrowth.Newzoopredictsyearlyrevenuestoreach$1084.1million,representingyear-on-yeargrowthof14.5%.TheybelievethatChinawillgeneratemorethanathirdofworldwideeSportsrevenues.Lookingfurtherforwardto2024,NewzoopredictseSportsrevenuestoreach$1617.7million,showingaCompoundAnnualGrowthRate(CAGR)of11.1%from2019-2024.Newzoo’slatestestimatesofeSportsrevenuestreams,suggestthatthe2021$1084.1millionislikelytobemadeupasfollows:sponsorship$641.0million(up11.6%YoY),mediarights$192.6million(up13.4%),publisherfees$126.6million(up22.6%),merchandise&tickets$66.65million(up13.8%),digital$32.3million(up50.4%),andstreaming$25.1million(up25.7%).AlthoughsponsorshiprevenuesareclearlythefoundationofeSportsrevenue,itisexpectedthatticketrevenueswillrecoverfromCOVID-19restrictions,andeSportsorganizersandteamswillcontinuetodiversify.GamesLiveStreamingAudienceNewzoohasaddedadditionalinformationinthisyear'sreportongameslivestreaming.Theplatformsdifferacrosstheworld,butthemainonesinthewestareTwitchandYouTubeLive.GaminglivestreamingisnowhighlypopularinChinaonstreamingplatformssuchasDouyu,Huya,Zhangi,Huomao,andPandaTV.Thegaminglivestreamingaudiencesfor2019and2020were593.2millionand662.7million,respectively.The11.7%growthover2020wascausedbytheincreasedtimespentathomeandsocialdistancingrequirementsduringthepandemic. Newzoopredictsfurthergrowthof10.0%to728.8millionviewersin2021.By2024,theybelievethattheglobalgaminglivestreamingaudiencewillbe830.3million,aCAGRof9.2%over2019-2024.Chinaisnowamaturemarket.However,Newzoostillpredictsthattheirgaminglivestreamingaudiencewillgrowfrom185.5millionin2020to214.3millionin2024.Theyalsoexpectdouble-digitgrowthratesinmanydevelopingcountries,withthepredictedCAGRforthefollowingregionsthroughto2024expectedtobe:LatinAmerica(+14.0%),MiddleEastandAfrica(+15.1%),CentralSouthernAsia(+14.8%),andSoutheastAsia(+14.8%).SpanishandPortugueselivebroadcastsexperiencedthemostsignificantgrowthin2020.Theyarenowthesecondandthirdmostusedlanguagesinlivestreaming,afterEnglish.Spanishstreamsgrewby369%to1.4billionhourswatched,andPortugueseby189%to1.1billionhourswatched.RelatedContent:10LeadingeSportsAgenciesforInfluencerMarketingManagerstoKnoweSportsAwarenessisIncreasingOneofthemainreasonstherehasbeengrowthineSportsviewershipisthatmorepeoplearelearningaboutit.TherehasbeenatremendousriseinawarenessoftheeSportsindustrysince2015.Backthen,therewereslightlymorethan800,000peoplewhohadheardaboutit.Thesenumberssoonchanged,andbythefollowingyear,morethanabillionpeoplehadlearnedabouteSports.Thesenumberscontinuedtoincreaseinthefollowingyears,byafewhundredthousandannually.By2017,eSportsawarenesshadrisento1.28billionbeforereaching1.43billionin2018and1.8billionin2019.AccordingtoNewzoopredictions,globalawarenessofeSportswasexpectedtoriseto2.0billionin2020,including530.4millionChinese.Unfortunately,Newzoodoesn'tappeartohavepubliclyreleasedmorerecentdata.So,whatdoesthisincreaseinviewershipandawarenessmeanforbrands?Forthemostpart,itsaysthattheyhaveanewchanneltotargetintheirmarketingmix.ButitalsosaysthattheyhavemorepeopletoreachwithintheeSportsindustry.So,eSportsmarketingwillhelpthemexpandtheirreachanddelivertheirmarketingmessagesthroughengagingchannels. Sponsored Sponsored: Vendorsbidforplacementwithinourlistings.Vendorswhobidforplacementcanbeidentifiedbytheyellowflagbuttonontheirlisting. TheRiseofPlatformsOfferingLiveeSportsCoverageIt'snosurprisethatmorepeoplewatcheSportsvideosandevents,consideringhowonlineplatformsnowmakewatchingeSportscontentmoreaccessible.eSportsstreamersusetheseplatformstobroadcastlivecoverageofeventsandtheirowngameplay.ThismakesiteasierforfanstoparticipateintheirfavoriteeventsandengagewiththeirpreferredeSportsathletes.So,youcanseeanincreaseinthenumberofviewersandbroadcastersontheseplatformsaswell.AlthoughnotalltheviewersandbroadcastersontheseplatformsarerelevanttotheeSportsindustry,thisincreasestilllikelyaffectstheindustry.StreamlabsmadesomeinterestingobservationsintheirQ12021report.ThesestatsmergeboththeeSportsmarketandthegamingmarketwhencomparingwithNewzoostats. ThemajorityoflivestreamviewersstillpreferTwitch.With6.34billionhoursofviewing,itrepresents72.3%ofthemarketshareforhourswatched,a6.5%increasefromthepreviousquarter.ViewershipforYouTubeGamingfellabout550millionhoursfromQ42020toQ12021toreach1.37billionhours(15.6%).Ontheotherhand,FacebookGamingviewershipgrewbyabout156millionhoursto1.06billionhours,12.1%ofthetotalhourswatched.Asanindicationofhowmuchmorepopulargaminglivestreamingisnow,comparethetotalhourswatchedinQ12021withthoseviewedinQ12020.Twitchviewinghasrisenfrom3,114.1millionhoursto6.34billionhours,YouTubeGamingviewingincreasedfrom1076.5millionhoursto1.37billionhours,andFacebookGamingviewingrosefrom553.8millionhoursto1.06billionhours.Thechangeinayeariscolossal.Twitchtracker providessomeinterestingstatisticsaboutTwitch'sprogressionovertheyears.Forexample,COVIDlockdownshaveledtomanypeopleincreasingtheirtimeonTwitch.Acolossal1,860billionminuteswerewatchedin2020,upfrom660billionminutesin2019.Inthefirstsixmonthsof2021,792billionminuteswerewatched.Similarly,therearenow9.3millionuniquecreatorsstreamingeachmonthonTwitch,comparedto6.9millionmonthlystreamersin2020and3.64millionin2019.Theplatformhasalsoseenasteadyincreaseinthenumberofchannelssimultaneouslybroadcastinglive.Thisnumberincreasedby20%in2019,with49,500averageconcurrentlivechannels.In2020,theincreasewas77%,with87,500averageconcurrentlivechannels.Sofar,in2021,thishasincreasedbyafurther29%to112,500averageconcurrentstreamers.So,thereisatonofactivityontheseplatforms,signifyingthateSportsandgamingfansarehighlyactiveandengagedwithrelevantcontent.EarningsineSportsTournamentsThere'slittledoubtthatwithsomuchgrowthinmanyofthesestatistics,therewouldalsobegrowthineSportstournamentprizemoneyandplayerearnings–atleastuntilCOVIDarrived. In2019,the totalprizemoney for5591tournamentswas$236,221,114.So,themeantournamentprizepoolwas$42,250.With28,336activeplayersatthesetournaments,eachplayer'smeanearningswere$8,336,andtheirmedianearningswere$666.67perplayer.WiththearrivalofCOVID-19in2020,theoveralltotalprizemoneyfellto$119,457,468fromjust4478tournaments.Themeantournamentprizepoolwas$26,677.With24,231activeplayersatthesetournaments,eachplayer'smeanearningswere$4,930,andtheirmedianearningswere$582.08perplayer.Source:esportsearnings.comAtthehalfwaystageof2021,itlookslikefiguresarestartingtoimprove,witheachplayer'smeanearningscurrentlybeing$5,395andtheirmedianearnings$705.89perplayer.ConclusionThesestatsshowcaseeSports'rapidgrowthuntiltherecenttemporaryreductionduetotheeffectsofCOVIDonlarge-scaleevents.Gamersarespendingmoretimethaneveronthestreamingplatformsatthemoment;however,theyhavelesscompetitivecontenttoview.Butthiswillonlybetemporary.ThereductionineSportseventsisconsiderablylessthanmanytraditionalsportingoccasions.ManycompetitiveeSportscontinue.Youcanstillsponsorteamsattournaments(rememberthatsponsorshiphascontinuedtorise,despitetheeffectsofCOVID).Perhapsyoucouldalsopartnerwithinfluencersintheindustryandhavethempromoteyourbrandorreviewyourproducts.TherearetonsofopportunitiesyoucanseizetoridethewaveofeSports'popularity. FrequentlyAskedQuestions Howbigofanindustryisesports? In2021,theglobalesportsindustrywasvaluedatmorethan1billionUSDollars.That’sanearly50%increasefromtheyearbeforein2020.TheeSportsindustryacrosstheglobeisforecastedtogrowtomorethan1.64billiondollarsby2024. Howbigisesportsnow? Globalawarenessofesportsisgrowing,andfast.In2019,globalawarenessofeSportswas1.8billion,andthatnumberisonlyrising.In2021,theglobalesportsindustrywasvaluedatmorethan1billionUSDollars.That’sanearly50%increasefromtheyearbeforein2020. Whatisthemostplayedesport? Thesearethebiggestandmostplayedesportsgames: Dota2. Counter-Strike:GlobalOffensive. Fortnite. LeagueofLegends. StarCraftII. PlayerUnknown'sBattlegrounds(PUBG) Overwatch. Hearthstone. Isesportsagrowingindustry? Theesportsindustryisahugelygrowingindustryandit’sonlyforecastedtogrowmoreinthecomingyears,bothintermsofviewershipandrevenue.Growingviewershipofesportsislargelythecontributingfactortobillionsofdollarsinrevenue. Whoistherichestgamer? TherichestgamerisJeffreeStar,andheisestimatedtobeworth$200million.HeispopularonYouTube,Twitch,andmore. SUGGESTED