esport popularity mushrooms
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

money lags behind

E-sport popularity mushrooms

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today E-sport popularity mushrooms

E-sport 'players' are armchair fans, yet participants too as Florian Muller from FC Basel and Lucas Cuillerier
Lisbon - Al Maghrib Today

It is a paradox pitting popularity against relative pittances -- e-sports have exploded into the global consciousness but the big money has not yet appeared pitchside, or screenside.

Participation has soared as virtual games gain traction, with a worldwide fan audience now estimated at 280 million, approaching that for the NFL.

Such a leap in growth has helped fuel talk that competitive electronic sports, or professional gaming, could even soon become an Olympic "discipline".

But even if the League of Legends final drew a huge audience to the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium in Beijing earlier this month the sector has yet to mature economically and needs to secure more funding in order to secure a longer term foothold in the sporting world, analysts say.

And the question of how to open the revenue stream sluice gate is complex.

"This year, e-sport should earn a little over 850 million euros ($990 million) and studies show that come 2021 we'll reach turnover of some three billion euros," says Laurent Michaud, director of studies at Idate, a leading European think tank on the digital economy.

"But that's set against a global video games market worth more than 65 billion euros."

How to ramp up low monetisation is exercising minds given that an e-sport fan brings only three euros to the table annually on average, according to a recent study by Nielsen Sports. 

Soccer generates typically some ten times more.

- 'Complicated audience' - 

One reason for the disparity between the virtual and the non-virtual sporting universes is the difficulty of engaging with e-fans via traditional broadcasting outlets.

"Our football stadiums are still sold out -- but clubs shouldn't feel too safe because the crowds are not so young. Traditional sports don't have to be afraid of e-sports, TVs should," says Tim Reichert, chief gaming officer at German top-flight football club Schalke 04.

"We're still at the point we have to educate broadcasters and outside sponsors on how to interact with this complicated audience, because they don't watch TV and they all have ad blockers," Reichert told AFP at the Web Summit in Lisbon, a kind of "Davos for geeks" where virtual gaming featured high on the agenda.

Many e-sport fans are used to receiving their visual fare for free via platforms such as YouTube, rather than switching on the TV set.

Traditional media are still taking baby e-steps after coming late to the genre.

"We've had a partnership with BBC 3 which is a really good space to explore it, and with some success," says Barbara Slater, who heads the BBC's sports coverage.

"We've covered an e-gaming event live. I just think we'll step forward cautiously but there is no question the interest and the amount time and engagement that e-sports is achieving with our audience."

An additional obstacle is dubious image a substantial swathe of society has of video gaming and e-sport in particular.

"People are afraid of what they don't understand. There is still a generation that doesn't know anything about video games. Twenty ago that was a majority, now it's 50-50 and in the future there will be less people that don't understand it," says Ralf Reichert, founder of Electronic Sports League (ESL), the oldest and largest-scale organiser of e-sport competitions.

"The simple changing of generation will remove the fear" of making the e-leap, says Reichert.

- Web wonder -

The generational shift is moving in e-sport's favour, says Andy Dinh, a former star gamer now heading his own team.

In his view, "today's fans take their children to watch an e-sport competition e-sport as some take theirs to watch the baseball. These are the upcoming generations of fans."

That will increasingly bend the ear of sponsors and broadcasters when it comes to showing and investing in competitions which are set increasingly to become unmissable attractions on the e-circuit.

"Our sponsoring costs are rising and will continue to do so, but so will our earnings," insists Bracken Darrell, president and chief executive officer of IT device developer Logitech.

IDate's Michaud weighs in that "the future of e-sport is not on television, everything is on the web".

He added: "Broadcasting rights will concern platforms, there will be (rights) for the organisation of events, everything connected to sports betting could comprise important revenue."

Facebook or YouTube, cited as potential broadcast rights buyers for sports events, could be tempted by e-sport instead of more traditional sports that they might judge a less profitable return in investment terms.

"Football is much bigger and it's going to be there for a long time but it's totally fine," insists RESL's Ralf Reichert.

"If e-sport becomes the second largest sport in the future, everyone in the industry will be very happy with that!"

Source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

GMT 10:41 2018 Friday ,19 January

Taiwan chip 'godfather' bullish on cryptocurrency

GMT 14:50 2018 Thursday ,18 January

YouTube toughens rules regarding

GMT 13:41 2018 Wednesday ,17 January

Remand extended for Palestinian teen

GMT 12:17 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

Russia's Lavrov lashes out at US

GMT 11:44 2018 Sunday ,14 January

Facebook move will play out

GMT 12:33 2018 Saturday ,13 January

New Eurogroup chief vows to press

GMT 09:37 2018 Friday ,12 January

S. Korea govt sends bitcoin
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

esport popularity mushrooms esport popularity mushrooms

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

esport popularity mushrooms esport popularity mushrooms

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 09:33 2017 Wednesday ,08 November

Abadi underlines threats facing Middle East and world

GMT 16:01 2011 Sunday ,02 October

BMW $50,000 four-cylinder roadster

GMT 05:37 2017 Wednesday ,12 April

Women in leadership positions: Are quotas the answer?

GMT 17:36 2017 Saturday ,15 April

Iraqi Christians return to ransacked town with fear

GMT 21:21 2015 Sunday ,09 August

Dubai Cycling Track ready 2015

GMT 10:11 2011 Wednesday ,30 November

Video game firms eye Middle East’s market

GMT 12:32 2011 Saturday ,18 June

Popemobile \'to become green machine\'

GMT 19:25 2011 Friday ,21 October

University of Wales effectively abolished in merger

GMT 14:35 2012 Wednesday ,09 May

83-year-old woman\'s tree planting for 20 years

GMT 15:42 2013 Monday ,12 August

A volcano spews more hot ash and lava

GMT 15:17 2011 Tuesday ,13 September

Harvard, Princeton named top universities

GMT 19:16 2011 Wednesday ,21 September

University leaders\' social mobility warning

GMT 08:21 2012 Tuesday ,05 June

IMEDEEN launch new Hair & Nails capsules

GMT 10:06 2013 Tuesday ,03 September

Modern tropical interior design

GMT 08:33 2014 Thursday ,24 April

A plateful of pasta at the Press Club

GMT 08:45 2012 Tuesday ,21 August

Plant-filled cat house

GMT 13:45 2017 Monday ,16 January

Wehrlein joins Sauber, Bottas move imminent

GMT 22:59 2011 Tuesday ,20 September

Designer unveils loose-stitched crochet gowns at LFW

GMT 14:10 2011 Monday ,27 June

Populations around U.S. nuclear plants soar

GMT 18:39 2012 Monday ,11 June

Veteran journalist, 86, passes away
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday