As one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, the esports market has witnessed a remarkable growth in both revenue and viewership over the years. With coronavirus lockdown rules in place and the growing number of people spending more time indoors and online, the constantly growing esports fan base is set to reach new record highs this year.
According to data gathered by Golden Casino News, the number of esports viewers is expected to reach 495 million in 2020, or 25% more compared to 2017 figures.
The Number of Frequent Viewers Jumped 30% Since 2017
The eSports market has tremendously expanded in recent years, with more and more viewers tuning in to watch some of the best gamers in the world. In 2017, there were 395 million esports viewers around the globe, revealed Statista and Newzoo data. Around 173 million of them were frequent viewers and esports enthusiasts, and another 222 million were occasional viewers.
By the end of 2019, the esports fan base grew to 443 million, with 198 million frequent viewers. Statistics show that in 2020, the number of esports enthusiasts regularly watching their favorite gamers is set to reach 223 million, or 30% more compared to 2017 figures.
The Newzoo report also revealed that the strong rising trend of the esports viewership is set to continue in the following years, with the fan base reaching 646 million by 2023. Frequent viewers are forecast to amount more than 45% of that number or 295 million globally.
Top 3 Game Publishers Hit 3.8bn Streaming Hours Watched in 2019
The 2019 data revealed that 57% of eSports viewers and enthusiasts are from the Asia Pacific region. With 16% of all eSports viewers last year, Europe ranked as the second-largest region. North America followed with a 12% market share in esports viewership.
Analyzed by game publishers, statistics show that Riot games represent the leading name in the esports industry by the number of watched streaming hours. In 2019, esports fans and enthusiasts watched almost 1.5 bn cumulative streaming hours of games published by the US game publisher, with League of Legends as its most popular title.
Epic Games, the publisher or megahits like Fortnite and Red Dead Redemption, ranked second with 1.4bn cumulative streaming hours. Statistics show that esports fans watched more than 1.06bn cumulative streaming hours of games published by Blizzard Entertainment in 2019.
Valve Corporation, with its megahits like Counter-Strike:Global Offensive, took fourth place on the list. During the last year, esports viewers watched 1.02bn streaming hours of the games published by this US gaming giant.
