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Esports Exposure Exploding During COVID-19 Outbreak

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The Esports Ecosystem On Track To Reach $1.8 Billion By 2022
Esports competition (Photo by Esports News. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license).
Reading Time: 4 minutes

 

Esports was already a booming business coming into 2020. Last year, Esports topped $1 billion in revenue for the first time. That was a 26.7% increase from 2018.

A sure sign of the growth in the popularity of Esports is shown by the fact that its highest-grossing revenue stream in 2019 was in the area of sponsorship. According to a published report, there was nearly $457 million generated in sponsor money by Esports last year.

Esports leagues and tournaments are drawing huge audience numbers. Estimates were that almost 454 million took in an Esport event last year. Those are the kinds of numbers that encourage major corporate sponsorship of the events.

COVID-19 Impact

The outbreak of the coronavirus has led to another spike in popularity among Esports. In North America, the NHL, NBA and MLB halted their seasons. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament was canceled. Golf and tennis also stopped playing. The launch of NFL and NCAA football seasons in the fall remain uncertain.

Around the globe, almost of the world soccer shut down. The European Champions League and the English Premier League took a hiatus. Euro 2020 and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were postponed.

With all of the major sporting leagues forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 virus and the accompanying bans on large gatherings, there’s little in the way of sports to entertain the masses. Sports fans were left desperate for an outlet. Sports networks sought out programming. Sportsbooks looking for other forms of betting turned their attention to writing more wagers around Esports events.

Esports are stepping up and proving capable of filling the void. While not completely bereft from feeling the impact of COVID-19 – the large tournament events held in halls filled with spectators watching video game team competitions such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty and Dota 2 are currently not permitted.

The Overwatch League is playing its entire 2020 season online. Play! PokĂŠmon canceled its North American International Championship and World Championship.

However, the ability of Esports to adapt and be played by players under quarantine is giving them a leg up on actual sports.

Industry estimates are that the demand for Esports has increased by 300% since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Big League Sports Entering The Fray

Virtual sports are also a big part of the Esports explosion. Competition in soccer, basketball, tennis, horse and greyhound racing are among the many virtual sports on offer.

There are events built around tournaments in such popular sports-themed video games as Madden NFL, NBA 2K20, FIFA, and NHL 20.

The major sports leagues already recognized the potential for virtual spots as a revenue growth stream. Both the NBA and NHL began holding tryouts to pick players to form virtual versions of their actual teams that would eventually compete in simulated leagues.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the big leagues are looking to get in on the Esports explosion and keep their sports going at the same time.

NASCAR has been holding the eNASCAR Pro Invitational iRacing Series, where actual NASCAR drivers compete in races as their virtual selves. The simulations are carried live by Fox Sports and are proving to be a big hit with racing fans.

NascarPro Invitational iRacing Series (Photo by: YouTube.com screenshot).

The Nielsen ratings for the first event of the iRacing Series came in at an average of 638,000 households and 903,000 viewers, making it the most-watched Esports event of all-time.

By comparison, live NASCAR racing during the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series averaged 2.1 million viewers per race. NASCAR’s iRacing ratings are almost on par with the 2019 numbers for viewers of their second-tier racing competition, the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Those races averaged 725,000 homes and 948,000 viewers.

Formula One is also contesting virtual Grand Prix races, with its drivers racing as their virtual selves. Australian SuperCars competition is doing likewise.

Other sports also are holding Esports competitions to give their fans a regular fix during the coronavirus quarantine. The NFL organized a Madden tournament featuring eight current NFL players. The NBA put together an NBA 2K20 tournament with 16 current players in action.

The most ambitious of these virtual sports simulations is currently being undertaken by Major League Baseball. An MLB The Show competition is pitting 30 of today’s MLB players, each representing their own team.

They are playing a 29-game regular season, facing each other player once. The top eight players will qualify for postseason play, which will lead to a virtual World Series champion being crowned.

Other sports have opted to take their Esports competitions in an entirely different direction. With the Australian National Rugby League season on hold, instead of their slated match, members of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Wests Tigers competed in a game of Fortnite that was live-streamed on both team’s Facebook pages.

Esports Future Bright

During the 2004-05 lockout that wiped out the entire NHL season, poker utilized that opportunity to fill the broadcasting void left by no hockey and became a television staple.

COVID-19 has created a similar opportunity for Esports to grow exponentially and gain a foothold with a mainstream sports audience that might not have given it a second thought otherwise.

Esports was growing rapidly regardless. As one of the few sports still currently playing, its already bright future is blossoming with significantly more glow.

 

eSports

IESF Kicks off Bidding Process for 2025 and 2026 Events

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The International Esports Federation (IESF) has officially launched the bidding process for the next two editions of the World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers. Cities interested in hosting IESF’s flagship event can learn more about the bidding process on the IESF Events Bidding Process page.

WEC, a long-standing tradition of competitions watched across the world, creates a direct opportunity for the host to link its city brand to the IESF Realm, multiple game titles, and some of the world’s best athletes.

IESF remains open to discussions with any cities, regions, or countries worldwide that are interested in hosting the World Esports Championship or Regional Qualifiers. We welcome inquiries from all potential hosts to explore the opportunities and benefits of bringing these premier esports events to their locations.

IESF General Secretary Boban Totovski said: “After Bali, Iasi, and Riyadh this year, we are all looking forward to our next host for the 17th World Esports Championship. We already have many cities waiting for the process to start bidding and we are all very excited to start the negotiations and discover where will the IESF flag go on the 19th of November in Riyadh, on the closing ceremony”

IESF assesses potential hosts based on several criteria, including how well they align with regional and national development plans, as well as the long-term strategic goals of the IESF vision and mission. The host city is expected to meet all requirements set by IESF. The final selection of the host city is made by a vote from the IESF Board.

The 2023 World Esports Championship in Iași, Romania, was a unique experience, attracting over 100,000 attendees and amassing an impressive 35 million viewers across all platforms. This year, the championship moves to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, promising to be the biggest event yet with a record 130 nations and over 600 players competing, solidifying Riyadh as this year’s Esports capital.

Which city will rise to become the next epicenter of esports excitement?

 

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eSports

Skyesports Championship 2024: Aurora Gaming and 3DMAX Become First Teams to Advance to the Playoffs

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The Skyesports Championship 2024, a $300,000 international Counter-Strike 2 esports tournament, is taking place at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai from July 24 to 28. As the Group Stage nears its conclusion, two teams have advanced to the prestigious Playoffs, where they will battle for glory and a shot at the lion’s share of the prize pool.

Serbia’s Aurora Gaming and France’s 3DMAX Vie for Glory: First Teams to Reach the Playoffs

Aurora Gaming and 3DMAX have earned this accolade with flawless records so far in the Group Stage.

The 11 participating teams, which include prominent esports organizations from Mongolia, France, Turkey, India, and Russia, have been split into two groups: A and B.

In Group A, Aurora has secured their spot in the Playoffs after convincing victories against Parivsion, ENCE, and True Rippers, standing first in their group with a 3-0 record. With their advancement to the next stage, Aurora is eyeing a consecutive third trophy in Skyesports’ IPs, having previously won the $350,000 Skyesports Masters 2024 and the Skyesports Grand Slam 2024 in Pune, India.

All eyes are still on Group A as teams like The Mongolz and ENCE have to battle it out on Day 3 to make it to the Playoffs.

In Group B, 3DMAX has triumphed over Amkal, DMS, and Revenant Esports, securing a 3-0 record at the top of the group.

The action continues in the Skyesports Championship on Day 3, as the final day of the Group Stage will decide who will join 3DMAX and Aurora Gaming in the Playoffs. Fans can catch all the action live on the Skyesports YouTube and Twitch channels.

Unlike the Group Stage, the Playoffs will take place on the main stage at the prestigious 5-star hotel, the Taj Lands End in Mumbai, India.

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

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eSports

THE DOTA 2 VIRTUAL HALL OF FAME: GG.BET AND DOT ESPORTS PRESENT 50 WORLD RECORDS

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Dot Esports, the leading esports news outlet, and betting brand GG.BET have created a virtual hall of fame to celebrate 50 Dota 2 World Records. Check it out to discover the stories behind the most impressive feats in the game’s competitive history and watch videos of when they happened.

The Dot Esports team have painstakingly selected and presented Dota 2 records in 5 categories: players, teams, tournaments, content creators and talent. You can find a list of the extraordinary individuals and organizations in each one, as well as dive into the events that have made Dota 2 a Tier-1 esports discipline on the world stage.

GG.BET press office:  “Although Dota 2 was released over 11 years ago, it continues to rank among the top games in the esports community. As we wait for the biggest tournament of the year, The International 13, to kick off, we’ve decided to look back and reflect on the most remarkable milestones throughout the competitive history of Dota 2. Did you know that the fastest time a match was won was in less than 8 minutes? Or that there’s a team that’s played 2813 professional matches? The experts at Dot Esports will tell you all about this and much more in our joint project. We’re delighted to support the creation of such insightful content.”

Jody Rones, CRO at Dot Esports:  “From its humble beginning as a fan made mod to one of the largest games in the world, DotEsports is thrilled to partner with GG.BET to shine a light on DOTA and its community as it passes its 11 year mark. From the content creators, to the team, players, tournament organizers, shout casters and more, they’re a key part of what makes this esport great, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to give them the recognition they deserve with the launch of the collaborative DOTA World Records.”

50 Dota 2 World Records is already available on the Dot Esports website in English and Ukrainian.

Before the end of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive era and the transition to CS2, Dot Esports put a spotlight on 50 CS:GO World Records in collaboration with GG.BET. This project got a great reaction not just from the esports community, but from the players and teams themselves.

 

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