Sold-out sports arenas, major advertisers, big prize money, ESPN exposure and 71 million viewers. The latest sport to achieve those plateaus is E-Sports, or competitive video gaming.
According to a recent report entitled eSports drafted by New York-based agency Sparks & Honey, there are approximately 300 million eSports fans in 152 countries who watch games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Call of Duty and StarCraft 2 online through streaming platforms like Twitch.tv and MLG.tv. An average viewing session lasts 2.2 hours with more than 2.4 billion hours watched.
The list of advertisers sponsoring events and players includes Coca-Cola, Intel, Red Bull, American Express and Nissan. “They’re starting to pay attention and the great thing about it is it’s not just one game. An advertiser can get involved with just one game like Intel has with StarCraft 2 or try a variety of games,” said Imari Oliver, Sparks & Honey’s director of creative strategy.
One trend that’s clear with E-Sports is the crossover into holding major events in traditional sports venues. Last fall, Riot Games sold out the Staples Center for its League of Legends Championship Series Finals. While 12,000 people watched live in the home of the Lakers and Kings, over 32 million tuned in to the livestream.
Earlier this year, Coke Zero KO 0.05% kicked off its partnership with Riot Games with the development of the Challenger Series, a series for amateur League of Legend gamers to compete for a spot in the professional league. In essence, it’s a minor league system for players to show their eSports prowess and potentially graduate to the Big Leagues and compete for big money, sponsorship deals and free travel around the globe to compete in tournaments.
Red Bull has embraced eSports over the past three years, focusing first on Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft 2 and adding Dota 2 to the mix. The energy drink hosts its own eSports events around the country with top players and invites fans to watch live and online. The company also sponsors pro gamers and treats them the same way they treat real athletes.
Even the NFL has taken notice of eSports. St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold is an avid gamer who attended his first MLG competition in Anaheim in 2013. He liked eSports so much he bought Call of Duty Ghosts team Rise Nation Gaming, which was one of the teams that competed at X-Games Austin a few months after the Activision and Xbox $1 Million Call of Duty Championship in Los Angeles.
Russell Schwartz, president of theatrical marketing at Relativity said eSports is the new appointment TV, only it’s online.
“Outside of sports on TV, which is the only thing people watch live any more, eSports is the best way to reach Millennials,” said Schwartz. “It’s a live experience that people can interact with online. It’s not that it’s a huge business yet, but it’s getting there. Television is so elusive these days, but with eSports we know it’s where male gamers 14 to 35 are watching.”
With the sport growing rapidly, future marketing opportunities will be plentiful, according to Oliver. “The momentum is extending quickly. Within the next year, more brands will get involved and more high-profile players will get involved.”
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