The eSports industry has seen tremendous growth over the years both in terms of viewership and revenue. This massive increase in viewership is not why the revenue has grown so much. Brands, seeing the potential of reaching a large, engaged, young audience, are jumping in to take part in eSports Marketing.
By 2017, eSports awareness had risen to 1.28 billion, and it reached 1.43 billion by 2018! In 2019, an estimated 1.57 billion people are likely to learn about it, according to MarketInfluencerHub. This means viewership will likely increase as well and with that, the industry will see further revenue growth. One of the reasons that the eSports industry is so polarizing and captivating for young audiences is that they can relate to it and watch it anywhere, anytime on any mobile device, which not many other industries can compete with. There is an abundance of marketing opportunities in this industry as well. Whether it be from virtual advertisement banners on the gamer's streams or a simple shoutout on social media, this is a great way to allow for maximum exposure to a young and engaged audience via advertisements.
Teens make up a large percentage of the active consumer market and using eSports as a vessel to transport information and advertisements could be an extremely helpful way to help reach this consumer base. There are eSports athletes such as Ninja, Tfue, and NickEh30 who are kid-friendly and rack up views on their streams that reach into the multi-millions. There are streamers that appeal to any demographic, old or young. Since most of these gamers are just regular people from a wide range of backgrounds, there is a gamer for almost anyone.
Advertisements are already becoming common on gamers' streams and with the number of loyal followers these gamers pull in, just having one ad alone on their stream will help brand awareness across a massive and engaged audience. Not only do these advertisements help with brand awareness but they allow for mere exposure to occur, allowing marketers to slowly win over the hearts of the stream viewers. Breaking into the eSports industry is slowly becoming a must for any agency or company. With talks of the industry being considered in the future on an Olympic level, it will only grow more, not only in the United States but on a global level. Influencer or brand associated with the eSports industry creates a great image that appeals to the largest and most active consumer base today.