A rapid rise in the consumption of eSports and streamed games content to 2021 will almost double revenues from the $1.8 billion forecast for 2017 to $3.5 billion, says Juniper Research.
The market is on a role at the moment with broadcasters rushing to have an eSports offer. Only days ago, South African pay-TV network SuperSport announced that it was launching the GINX esports TV channel in April, while Spanish telcos are increasing their presence in the growing eSports market by exploring new platforms. The eSports, Let’s Play & Watch Play: Competitive Tournaments & Content Streaming 2017-2021 report found that much of the rise relates to viewers seeking to improve their own gameplay, alongside a dedicated following of individual broadcasters on platforms including Twitch and YouTube. It adds that whilst the subscription model, as seen on platforms such as Twitch, will contribute significant revenues to the industry, it will be advertisers who reap rewards with almost 90% of eSports and ‘let’s play’ viewers — commentary on streams of the playing of videogames — also watching ad-supported casual games streams in 2021.
Juniper advised companies seeking to cash-in on the trend to either work with a streamer who aligns with their values, or closely monitor content which is to be published.
