A recent downturn in the viewership of major sporting championships such as the NFL, Premier League and the Winter Olympics has shown that the popularity of traditional sports may be on the decline. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Limelight revealed that more young men now prefer to watch esports than traditional sports, with esports being their second most preferred media source, only behind movies.
Recognising this upturn in esports viewership and popularity, major brands have began to take notice, with tech and media companies alike starting to invest in this new and exciting industry. Reports have highlighted that by 2020, esports will overtake the NBA’s 400 million fans, reaching closer to 500 million. Around 11 billion hours will be spent by fans watching esports, with more than 70 mukkuib enthusiasts watching major finals through online streaming platforms such as Twitch. That’s more than the MLB and NBA finals. In 2015, Amazon announced that it had successfully acquired Twitch for $970m and has fervently promoted esports as the main stable of its platform ever since.
With the viewership growing and different platforms emerging to enable viewers to watch the sport, 2018 is set to be another exciting year for esports. Betway have looked into the different ways that esports are growing, to see how it is comparing up to traditional sports below.
esports v sports by Betway
Recognising this upturn in esports viewership and popularity, major brands have began to take notice, with tech and media companies alike starting to invest in this new and exciting industry. Reports have highlighted that by 2020, esports will overtake the NBA’s 400 million fans, reaching closer to 500 million. Around 11 billion hours will be spent by fans watching esports, with more than 70 mukkuib enthusiasts watching major finals through online streaming platforms such as Twitch. That’s more than the MLB and NBA finals. In 2015, Amazon announced that it had successfully acquired Twitch for $970m and has fervently promoted esports as the main stable of its platform ever since.
With the viewership growing and different platforms emerging to enable viewers to watch the sport, 2018 is set to be another exciting year for esports. Betway have looked into the different ways that esports are growing, to see how it is comparing up to traditional sports below.
esports v sports by Betway
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
