eSports thrive

eSports thrive in a world without crowds

Two years ago we ran an article on e-sports trending year-on-year with even talk about e-sports becoming part of the Olympics. It is now predicted that the eSports worldwide market is on track to surpass $1.5 billion in revenue in under 3 years. With Coronavirus affecting traditional sport worldwide, sporting codes are showing strong interest in eSports.

After the NRL had announced suspension, Mat Jessep, eSports Games Association Australia Chief Executive believes moving the sport online could be Rugby League’s saving grace.

When the NBA was suspended, NBA team Phoenix Suns continued with their season online, providing a platform for fans to engage with them whilst providing a revenue stream.

“The Phoenix Suns will give fans a virtual fix as the first NBA team to continue the 2019-20 season,” a Suns statement said. “While we await the return to the hardwood, hoops fans are encouraged to tune in to Suns games on Twitch.”

What is Twitch?

It’s a video live-streaming service allowing gamers to stream their games for others to watch while they play. This is nothing new, with English football club Leeds United utilising the popular video game FIFA to play a simulated version of their postponed match against Cardiff City. It has since been watched by more than 200,000 fans on Facebook.

How is revenue made?

This concept is similar to YouTube users. Streamers are able to earn money from donations, subscriptions, as well as advertising, sponsorship and winning online tournaments. Back to NRL - players could verse each other in video game ‘Rugby League Live’ as an alternative to the season or opt for clubs to face off in popular global games like Fortnite or FIFA. The concept could potentially provide a revenue stream outside the physical game with the audience watching sponsored brands.

The correlation between gaming and NRL players went public when Josh Dugan celebrated a try with a Fortnite move in 2018. Last year, Dugan created his own Twitch account and regularly streams his PlayStation 4 sessions as a side hustle to his rugby league career.

“The average esports fan, outside of all the stereotypes of kids in mum’s sewing room eating Doritos and chugging down Mountain Dew, the average eSports fan is a 26-year-old male in an office job somewhere,” Jessep said. “They’ve got a fairly large access to disposable income and they appreciate authentic partnerships that are presented to them via their interest in eSports.”

eSports was a revenue stream adopted by Australian codes long before the Coronavirus crisis. In 2017, the FFA announced the introduction of an E-League, an initiative designed to connect fans who play the FIFA game with the A-League. Each club has two E-League competitors who jump online in club gear and play FIFA in a round-robin style competition with a finals event. Young fans of the A-League get so into the E-League competition it is being broadcast to Kayo this year.

In the same year, the Adelaide Crows AFL club made the unprecedented move to acquire a professional eSports team. Last year, the NRL recognised the connection between eSports and Rugby League and partnered with an eSports media company to host a Fortnite tournament for fans at the ANZ Stadium precinct on NRL grand final day.

eSports filling broadcasting voids

In a time where the likes of ESPN, Fox Sports and Kayo are desperate for content, eSports are filling the gap. Already there has been a 20 per cent lift in the number of students playing in a university-specific league as classes move online in Australia. One of the biggest eSports leagues globally, the ESL Pro League, has seen its viewership break last year’s record by 24 per cent as a result of the Coronavirus crisis.

7mate has begun to air eSports in some non-peak time slots, but gaming providers are preparing for far more knocks on the door. Alex Blaikie, from ESL Australia, said providers of eSports were already in talks with major broadcasters.

“This is the perfect time for any of the traditional broadcasters - Seven, Nine - to get on board and fill in some programming slots where there might have been your traditional sports,” Blaikie said. “We are having a few discussions, we’ve had people start to reach out to us who might not have previously in the past few years.”