New Studies Put the Rise of eSports – and Streaming – in the Spotlight

When it comes to discussing the areas of video gaming that are really thriving at the moment, a reference simply has to be made to eSports.

Any regular visitor to our site will know about the wide range of games that are being played competitively, as well as the exciting action taking place in events all over the globe.

Now, new research has attempted to predict what could be next for the area, with all of the signs pointing to a bright future ahead.

Huge figures

Earlier this month, new findings from Juniper Research suggested that the global industry for eSports and games streaming could be worth $3.5 billion by 2025.

With its current value estimated to be $2.1 billion, Juniper stated that the industry would therefore experience growth of 70 percent across the next four years. The company also outlined that the value could be driven by subscription spending on streaming platforms, as well as advertising on streams.

In addition, the research provided some insights into how audience figures could rise, with it being predicted that more than one billion people will watch eSports streams and games by 2025. More than half of those viewers are expected to be based in the Asia-Pacific region, although it was predicted that Latin America would also be a key area in the next few years. Juniper anticipated that the latter region would be home to more than 130 million viewers of eSports and games streaming by 2025.

An incredible journey

While such findings reflect the big things that are expected of eSports, they also highlight the incredible journey that the industry has been on in recent decades.

The concept seems to have really gone to a whole new level, with many different titles now playing a crucial role in the sector and tournaments often revolving around significant sums of prize money. An obvious example of the latter is, of course, the Dota 2 tournament The International, as eSports Earnings states that the prize pool for the 2019 event reached more than $34 million. As we detailed elsewhere, the tournament was won by OG, with the team being named champions for the second time.

The findings from Juniper Research have also emerged around the same time as some fresh eSports figures from Newzoo. The organization’s 2021 Global eSports and Live Streaming Market Report suggested global revenues will reach $1,084 million this year, with around 75 percent of that coming from media rights and sponsorship. Newzoo also stated that the global live-streaming audience for games may reach more than 728 million in 2021.

Streaming’s success

But while the studies undoubtedly show how well the world of eSports is doing, it is also worth reflecting on how vital streaming technology has become as well.

Streaming has evolved massively through the years and while it has clearly made its presence felt in eSports, it has become part of life in many other ways too. For example, many of us now stream movies, TV shows and traditional sports through internet or data connections these days, as well as watching content on the likes of YouTube. A number of people also stream music from a host of services including Amazon Music and Spotify.

The concept has had an impact on other forms of entertainment across the world as well, including iGaming. Asiabet’s Online Casinos in the Philippines guide details how so-called live dealer tables are widely available on such sites these days. The titles often revolve around real-life gaming action being broadcast to players via a video link, with dealers or other presenters managing the gameplay. The site adds that live roulette has become a favorite of Filipino casino players in recent times, alongside the likes of sic bo. Streaming is also having an impact on wider video gaming through services like Amazon’s Luna platform. The brand describes Luna as a cloud gaming service that lets people stream titles to a range of devices.

Unstoppable rise

When all of that is considered, it seems fair to say that both eSports and streaming technology have been on a seemingly unstoppable rise over the past few years.

Big things are clearly expected from both in the future too, so it will be interesting to see just how huge both concepts ultimately become.