eSports
Saudi Arabia Aiming to Drive eSports to Even Greater Heights
The 2024 eSports World Cup in Saudi Arabia has been billed as an event which will fire professional gaming into another stratosphere.
The tournament has captivated the gaming community with its $60 million prize pool and roster of popular games such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike.
However, while the ambition is clear, the eSports World Cup has failed to match some of the figures tallied by other major eSports events.
Read on as we evaluate the tournament from multiple angles, from viewership figures to long-term marketing potential.
Early Performance & Viewership
The eSports World Cup has already garnered more attention than previous similar events.
According to official data from eSports Charts, average viewership grew by nearly eight percent compared to last year’s Gamers8 held in Saudi Arabia.
This growth is promising but might not be enough to position the World Cup as a dominant force in the eSports calendar.
Some observers have already pointed out that viewership numbers still lag behind those of established events such as Games Done Quick and the League of Legends World Championship.
However, early statistics from the event indicate a rich engagement level. The World Cup peaked at 2.4 million viewers in the opening week, accumulating 36 million hours of watch time.
This is a healthy figure that shows substantial interest in the competition. The numbers are not mind-blowing, but it is a decent start.
Betting
Professional gaming has rapidly grown into a worldwide phenomenon over the last few years, leading to a surge in betting interest.
With millions of fans tuning in to watch their favourite teams and players compete, it is no surprise that betting on eSports has become a lucrative industry.
The excitement and competition eSports generates are perfect for sports betting sites for Arab players.
Numerous betting platforms offer odds on various aspects of the games, from match winners to player performance, which can make the viewing experience more enjoyable for fans.
The combination of eSports and betting could be groundbreaking for both industries. Organisers can tap into a new revenue stream while fans enjoy more engagement.
Sponsor Perspective
For many sponsors, including massive brands such as PepsiCo and Mastercard, the eSports World Cup is more than just viewership statistics.
Their involvement is an investment in long-term brand engagement and market positioning rather than immediate returns.
āOur partnership with the eSports World Cup has brought us closer to millions of fans,ā said EVP of Global Sponsorships and Partnership Models at Mastercard Pernilla Winberg Babtist.
She highlighted the positive early metrics and expressed confidence in the eventās marketing value beyond mere numbers.
PepsiCoās SVP and CMO Karim El Fiqi also felt the same way, focusing on the broader value of the sponsorship. “The on-ground engagement with consumers and the equity we build with gamers is crucial,” he explained.
El Fiqi also noted the importance of the event within the context of Saudi Arabiaās Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and promote cultural and economic growth.
Strategic Benefits & Regional Impact
According to the managing director of Strive Sponsorship, Malph Minns, the connection between the event and other government-backed projects allows sponsors to build their regional presence without shelling out obscene sums on promotion.
āCompanies operating in that region are very cognizant of maintaining favourable relations with government entities,ā Minns said.
This view has been supported by the event’s ability to attract high-profile sponsors and partners such as Unilever, Amazon and adidas.
These brands see the World Cup as a way of engaging with the burgeoning eSports community and building brand equity.
Event Experience & Prospects
The World Cup was designed with a unique cross-game format, with top teams and players competing across 22 competitions in 21 leading games. This makes the competition more exciting for viewers.
The 8,000-capacity Saudi esports Federation Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City has received widespread praise as the host infrastructure.
The 220-acre development at the Prince Turki al-Awwal Road is a world-class entertainment centre that rivals any structure of its kind anywhere in the world. The town also features jaw-dropping architecture, cafes, shopping centres and theatres.
Liverpool and Portugal international forward Diogo Jota attended the opening ceremony and was effusive in his admiration for the scale and execution. The 27-year-old former Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker is an avid gamer and investor in the eSports scene.
āThe level of investment and infrastructure is exactly what eSports needs to grow and reach a wider audience,ā Jota said.
His positive feedback is a sign that the World Cup can make a significant impact in the eSports universe over a long-term period.
eSports
BETER and BVGroup extend partnership on global Esports coverage
BETER, the leading provider of next-gen betting content and data covering sports and Esports, has extended its partnership with BVGroup, the top-flight online betting operator and B2B technology solutions provider.
According to the deal, BVGroupās brands, including BetVictor, Betano UK and others, will be provided with BETERās Esports Odds Feed, an end-to-end trading solution which covers 450+ esports tournaments worldwide with the highest odds uptime in the industry of 90%+.
This means that their players will get access to odds for more than 40,000+ live and pre-match events per year, further enriching and improving their Esports wagering experience with the brand.
Odds are calculated using official data and compiled by BETERās in-house team of expert Esports traders for in-demand disciplines such as CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, Valorant and many more.
The extended partnership further establishes BETER as the go-to provider of Esports content and data for the biggest operators in the business. Indeed, the providerās fast-betting experiences have proved to be a big hit with significant player groups such as Millennials and Gen Z.
BETER and BVGroup have a longstanding partnership in place with the operator offering the providerās proprietary ESportsBattle tournaments, which cover eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey and CS2, as well as Setka Cup table tennis tournaments to its players. Combined, this gives players access to more than 45,000 monthly events.
Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: āWe are thrilled to have strengthened our partnership with our good friends at BVGroup and for its brands to provide players with an enhanced Esports betting experience.Ā
āEsports betting is a significant vertical in its own right with players demanding a great selection of markets and the best-priced odds. By combining official data with expert traders, we can provide our partners with highly accurate odds for Esports tournaments worldwide.Ā
āWe have already enjoyed a hugely successful partnership with BVGroup, but this enhanced agreement will really take it to the next level.āĀ
Eoin Ryan, Director of Sportsbook at BVGroup,Ā added: āBETER has proved to be one of our most important partners, allowing us to deliver fast betting content to players at our sportsbooks.Ā
āThe success of this made us want to deepen our collaboration by taking the providerās global Esports data and odds, allowing us to offer bets on more than 40,000 events across major disciplines such as CS2, League of Legends, Valorant and others.Ā
āItās partnerships like this that ensure our sportsbooks remain the go-to sports and Esports betting brands of choice for players in core markets across the world.āĀ
eSports
PandaScore boosts Amelcoās esports offering with sportsbook integration
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, stats and betting products, has signed a major deal with leading sportsbook and platform provider Amelco, as the supplier looks to enhance its esports betting offering.
Established as one of the worldās leading sportsbook and platform providers, Amelco is the partner of choice for the likes of Fanatics, Hard Rock Bet, Entain, BET99, and Flutter Entertainment.
Under the deal, Amelco will integrate PandaScoreās full suite of esports solutions into its offering. This will include its odds and stats, as well as its esports betting products such as its Bet Builder, Player Props and Micro Markets.
PandaScoreās odds feed is powered by a sophisticated model that leverages AI and is backed by a team of experienced traders, with specialist traders for certain disciplines. This covers the likes of CS2, Dota 2, LoL and Call of Duty.
Amelco will also benefit from PandaScoreās stats offering which provides real-time statistics for LoL, CS2, Dota 2 and all major esports titles. This includes extensive in-depth data points coverage, delivered in real-time with just 300ms latency from the original stream.
When combined with PandaScoreās innovative Player Props, Bet Builder and Micro Markets, it makes for the complete esports offering, allowing Amelcoās operator partners to offer an even wider selection of Esports than ever before.
Oliver Niner, Head of Sales at PandaScore, said: āAmelco is a top-tier technology company and platform supplier and understands the need to provide its customers with a proven esports betting solution and thatās exactly what PandaScore offers.
āThe demand for esports betting is big ā and only getting bigger ā with more operators now wanting to make a play in the space. To do this, they need to be able to offer an authentic betting experience and Amelco can now provide this to its partners using PandaScoreās award-winning solutions.ā
Brandon Walker, Head of Business Development at Amelco, added: āEsports betting is a huge business, and as one of the worldās most comprehensive sportsbook and platform providers, we want to ensure we offer our operator partners the very best.
āWeāre excited to be partnering with PandaScore to boost our esports offering even further, and we see this partnership as a fantastic way to bring even more value to our offering. We look forward to many successful years of working together.ā
eSports
BETER and GRID Bring Advanced Data Visualizations to Esports Betting
BETER, the leading provider of betting content and data, and GRID, a first-party esports live data provider, extend their partnership to bring advanced data visualizations to BETERās esports offering, enhancing the betting experience for allĀ enthusiasts around the globe
GRID widgets include visualizations such as The Map Winner Prediction Tracker, Series Scoreboard, LiveLog, and Comparison Widgets. The integration will also see a recently released GRID Stats Widget integrated into the BETER betting solutions, displaying various customizable statistics such as win rate, damage per round, First 5 kills, headshots, and many more.
Designed to be game title-agnostic, the GRID Widgets display real-time stats. They can be powered by any data source for any game in any genre, making them an entirely universal tool for data visualization across all esports content.
This new integration of data visualization will help bettors make more informed betting decisions and significantly increase their understanding of the game and its progress before, during, and after the game is live.
The widgets are versatile and fully customizable to match any partner’s branding and ensure the best experience can be scaled across mobile and desktop platforms.
Chuck Robinson, Chief Revenue Officer at BETER: “We are excited to expand our partnership with GRID, bringing advanced data visualizations to our esports offering. This collaboration allows us to offer our partners’ customers a more immersive and engaging betting experience, helping them interact with esports on a whole new level. By leveraging GRID’s real-time data and customizable widgets with comprehensive statistics, we’re setting a new standard in the betting landscape, ensuring that BETER continues to lead the way in innovative esports betting solutions.”
Mikael Westerling, Chief Sales Officer at GRID: “Together with BETER, we share a common vision for how the esports betting experience should be designedāimmersive, authentic, interactive, and powered by official data. Data is a powerful tool for storytelling, and the GRID widgets are designed to make esports content more accessible to new fans while deepening engagement with existing audiences. By providing real-time, actionable insights directly from the game server to BETER, we deliver a next-level experience that truly resonates with the esports community.”
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