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Esports has exploded over the last 10 years and by the end of 2020, it is estimated that it will have nearly 500 million global fans. It seems to be a hopeful estimate but may not be too far off the mark as the genre grows amongst the Gen-Z population. Despite the large fanbase esports has cultivated, there remains one major problem with it. Network television channels have been reluctant to show esports tournaments with the assumption that mainstream audiences will fail to tune in to watch. The amount of money on offer in esports is mindboggling and major tournaments are held in arenas with tens of thousands of fans in attendance. Fans of esports follow their favorite players and wager on tournament matches. Esports fans can use the Pala online casino promo code to get a bet bonus on all upcoming esports events and wager on the player they believe will win.
Translating those thousands of fans that attend esports tournaments like The National, Fortnite World Cup, or Overwatch League into television audiences doesn’t seem easy on the surface. Fans of esports currently watch tournaments online via different apps and platforms including Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube. Those platforms are the go-to channels for esports fans.
The downside of esports
Network channels such as ESPN in the United States and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom have shown esports at times in the past. ESPN’s dedication to the Madden videogame in the 2000s was one of the reasons esports kicked off to the levels seen today. But networks know securing sponsorships and advertising for esports tournaments is not as easy as traditional sports. Esports fans are preparing for the Fortnite eWorld Cup this summer and are debating which top player will win the tournament. Fans can use this casino bonus code to get a bet bonus before wagering on the player they predict will win the Fortnite eWorld Cup.
One reason for the difficulty in securing advertising dollars is due to the specialist nature of esports. The term esports merely covers a genre filled with a variety of games ranging from sports-based to roleplaying games. When a network shows an NFL game it knows exactly who it appeals to. However, showing a League of Legends tournament appeals to a mere piece of the overall esports pie.
When esports is talked about in the amount of money generated, handed out in prizes, and attendances, it is grouped together from the most popular games down to the least popular. Therefore, one singular esports competition such as Dota 2 cannot be selected by a major television network and broadcast in hopes that the entire fanbase of esports will watch. Rather a small percentage of that nearly 500 million fans will tune in.
Do traditional sports fans want to watch simulated games?
Another issue networks could have is the unlikelihood that a traditional sports fan will turn to an esports tournament in the absence of an NFL, NBA, NHL game. Once again, esports is very much specialized and few gridiron fans are going to watch teams play a roleplaying game when there is no NFL game to view.
According to stats on the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, 100 million unique viewers tuned into the tournament over the Internet. Compared to the world’s biggest sports event, the World Cup, the number was low. The World Cup 2018 saw over 3.5 billion people watch the final. Meanwhile, the 2020 NFL Super Bowl had 148.5 million viewers.
The League of Legends World Championship may have had a large viewership, but those were online viewers which may not translate over to network television. It is claimed the viewers who watch esports tournaments are unlikely to watch network programming. Moreover, that figure was worldwide, meaning a domestic network such as ESPN may not be able to come anywhere near a large enough figure in the US to justify its broadcast.
There are some issues networks would need to address to show esports competitions on television. One being the way in which it is shown on the television screens of those watching at home. Despite the negatives, there are still enough positives (money) for networks to take a punt on esports soon.
