It is a world where crowd roars through the pixels of a screen rather the clamour of a stadium. In the digital era, the newer generation has been finding their sporting role models beyond the regular field, in virtual world. Probably also a reason why esports has become stable within the forthcoming Olympics besides the Asian Games. The total online gaming industry is expected to reach Rs 38, 800 crore mark by 2026, as per the recent FICCI-EY report. Of this esports and casual games market was valued at Rs 3800 crore in 2023 and is expected to reach Rs 4600 crore by the end of this year.
As the popularity of esports events continues to soar, traditional sports networks have been recognising the potential of this emerging industry. By broadcasting esports events, these networks aims to tap into a newer audience. To be sure, the Star Sports network entered esports broadcasting in 2022. They collaborated with Nodwin Gaming to show the coverage of the Battlegrounds Mobile India(BGMI) Masters series.
Appeal to a younger audience?
It is considered that esports attracts a predominantly young audience . As per a 2024 report by esports insider, a esport business news outlet, esports fans have been far younger than than the average gamer with an average age of 33. However, the difference is narrowing every year which means, with each passing year, the average age of esports fans increases by approximately by 0.7 years, and if current trend continues, in just over a decade the average age of an esports fan will be roughly equivalant to a sports fan, which currently stands at 41.
Furthermore, esports competitions are often held internationally. It is believed that these tournaments allow networks to reach a global audience. In addition to that, these competitions also offer large portions of money. As per a report by Statista, the esport tournament that has offered the greatest overall prize pool as of May 2024 was ‘The International 2021’, with a total prize pool of over 40 million U.S. dollars. However, experts believe that the esport in India is in nascent level. To be sure, recently concluded BGIS finale had a total prize pool of Rs two crore. From this prize pool, Rs 60 lakh has gone to the winner who bagged the first position and then it was distributed to others. “For KRAFTON, esports events are marketing activities for competitiveness. Recently, esports have been added to traditional sports and the ministry has approved it as a regular sport. So for us, we are putting in the money into developing the grassroot level when it comes to building the esports ecosystem in the country,” Karan Pathak, associate director, esports , Krafton Inc told BrandWagon Online.
However, during the pandemic, while sports were severely interrupted, esports remained largely afloat because the industry can survive on well-produced event broadcast via Internet. But esports broadcasting also comes with its own set of challenges. While esports often features games with unique asthetics and cultures, it might be unfamiliar to traditional sports fans. Furthermore broadcasting of these fast paced sports requires specialised equipments and technical knowledge.