Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Esports Business – Property Profile, Sponsorship and Media Landscape
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The Esports market is particularly starting to take off in the Middle East as the region continues a big push into wider sports market as it looks to distance itself from human rights violations. Big money being thrown at Esports in the Middle East as competitions held in the region are offering large prize money as a way of attracting the best players to its tournaments. Mobile gaming is at the heart of the Esports evolution in these smaller markets as it offers greater accessibility and affordability to poorer inhabitants around the world.
What is the impact of COVID-19 on the EMEA Esports market?
Whilst Esports can be played remotely and from anywhere around the world, providing players boast a strong enough connection, the industry was still badly affected by the pandemic, particularly at a competitive professional level. Whilst many games were able to proceed, many of the bigger, more prestigious events had to be cancelled without the necessary funds to be staged without live audiences. These tournament cancellations included the International (Dota 2) in 2020, the 2020 ESL Pro League, PUBG Global Series, Rocket League World Championship, as well as both the 2020 and 2021 versions of the Fortnite World Cup, to name but a few. In cancelling these events, teams and players had to forfeit the opportunity to earn the biggest financial prizes on offer to them, whilst further income would have certainly been lost from individual sponsorship and media rights deals.
Even for those able to go ahead, the restrictions of not allowing crowds for in-person live events also negatively impacted the Esports ecosystem, with revenue reductions being faced by all involved via lost ticket sales and additional merchandise sales. On the whole, this meant that the Esports industry had to remain resilient and look at alternative ways as seen in these crossover celebrity online match ups, to stay afloat and capitalise on the growing popularity of online gaming.
What is the sponsorship landscape of the EMEA Esports market?
Breaking down all of the sponsorship deals announced in Esports in 2021, it is interesting to see the variety of brands now getting involved, with less emphasis on endemic brands. This being said, endemic brands will be closely linked to the consumer electronics industry and this space is still the main driving force of sponsorship deals in Esports.
What is the social media landscape of the EMEA Esports market?
From an individual player perspective, some of the most followed streamers/gamers are more highly regarded as influencers rather than serious players on the Esports scene. It is testament to the entertainment factor around Esports and how people are looking to engage with online games, as popular Spanish personalities, as listed here, Rubius and Auronplay have a social media followings in excess of 82 million each. Neither of these two leading names has become big from success in Esports competitions but do represent another path open to Esports personnel in looking to promote/re-direct their fans into the Esports gaming scene.
What is the media landscape of the EMEA Esports market?
The Esports sector as a whole is still very much dependent on sponsorship income more so than any other revenue stream, as highlighted earlier in the report. This goes against the typical revenue earners seen in other traditional sports such as basketball and soccer where media rights by far the biggest source of income, with linear TV networks fighting it out for the biggest rights around the world. This is a direction that Esports wants and perhaps needs to move into over the coming years in order to offer greater sustainability to its teams and competitions, with them facing less pressure to amass big sponsorship deals.
For more insights on the Esports business market in EMEA, download a free report sample
Scope
- The report takes a closer look at how the Esports landscape has evolved in recent times, taking a closer look at the state of play in the EMEA region.
- The report takes a closer look at the landscape in each of these affiliated regions, including sponsorship and media landscapes as it also looks more closely at teams, players and individual countries.
Key Highlights
A closer look at the impact of recent global events on the Esports market, namely COVID-19 and the Ukrainian invasion crisis. Detailed comparisons across the leading teams, players and games played across the EMEA region whilst also taking a broader overview of the global Esports market.
Reasons to Buy
- An in-depth look at one of the fastest growing sports markets around the world. The report analyses a several of the biggest areas in the sport and offers a clearer understanding of the market as of the start of 2022.
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