ESports streaming market breaks all records

If it was already very successful globally before, in the wake of the pandemic the online game streaming industry has managed to grow to totally unexpected levels. Its expansion is unstoppable and experts predict that its value will grow by 70% in the next four years and could reach some $3.6 billion by 2025.

Since the first lockdowns, the use of eSports has grown exponentially, as gamers have been more active than ever before. The same is true for the influence of dedicated eSports streamers, who have also increased their activity in the last year.

As a result, the market for eSport content broadcasting over the Internet has grown significantly, and this seems to be just the beginning, as activity in this sector continues to grow. According to recent research by Juniper Research, the global eSports and other online game streaming industry is set to reach a value of $2.1 billion this year, and will grow by 70% by 2025, by which time it is expected to reach $3.5 billion.

Experts believe that this increase in value will come from the increased use of platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, especially from spending on subscriptions to streaming platforms and from advertising that will move through these platforms.

These two sources of revenue are critical to the market, as the volume of users continues to grow, as well as the time they spend watching streamer-generated content, but they are not the only ones.

To capitalise on this growth, experts recommend that stakeholders invest in other revenue-generating areas, such as broadcasting rights and ticket sales for live events, two areas with high growth potential. And they also advise entering into advantageous sponsorship deals to increase the value of the eSports market in the future.

Experts expect the number of online game streaming viewers to grow from 800 million this year to around 1 billion by 2025, representing 1 in 9 people globally. More than half will come from Asia Pacific, but Latin America will be the region where the market will grow the most in this time. Forecasts are that there will be more than 130 million viewers of eSports and other games in the region, which is a huge growth.

According to one of the authors of the research, Saidat Giwa-Osagie, "successful broadcast platforms will be those that can cater for differences in geographic regions by including locally popular broadcasters and game titles in eSports events".

As such, he recommends that streaming platforms look for ways to promote their content to new audiences, partnering with industries such as telecoms or entertainment to generate new opportunities.