“Esports was once an under-the-radar activity for enthusiasts of multiplayer online games,” eMarketer principal analyst Paul Verna said. “Just a few years later, it’s a multimillion-dollar business in the US, with implications for game developers, players, leagues, teams, live venues, streaming platforms, TV networks, audiences and marketers.”
Audiences for esports are large and growing. This year, 30.3 million people in the US will watch an esports event at least once a month, up more than 18% over last year. We expect esports viewers to grow by more than 50% between now and 2023, reaching 46.2 million at that time.