The eSports industry continues to grow in size, with more people watching, bigger prize pools for the main events and more sponsorship deals. But what will all of this ever lead to?
Is there any chance at all that eSports are recognised alongside other big sports such as football, cricket, rugby and more? Will it ever feel normal that eSports are on the TV sports channels or will it always come as a surprise to the vast majority of people?
There are many factors that could push eSports forward, but the industry has to be prepared to take advantage of what comes along as they try to keep growing.
How the Betting Industry Can Help eSports
The most popular sports in the world are also those that see a lot of wagers placed on them. There will be football fans for example, who only watch leagues like the Premier League because they have placed a bet.
eSports betting is on the rise, and importantly, bookmakers seem more interested in offering a full service of eSports to their customers. We have seen improvements to the service such as live streaming, live betting and many more betting markets available for people to use.
This includes right at the very start, with bonuses available for eSports gamblers. This sign up bonus comparison shows what eSports punters can claim from a bookmaker when they sign up with them, with some big offers available.
With more interest from gamblers, a bigger service on offer from the bookmakers and other things such as live betting and streaming, the gambling industry can push eSports forward like it has done with many other sports.
Do Big eSports Events Need Big Worldwide TV Deals?
The beauty of eSports is that they are covered online, if you want to watch them then you can find a live stream from somewhere. We have just said about the bookmakers offering live streams, alongside this there are other platforms such as Twitch where you can watch live events.
However, although this may prove to be ideal for the gaming industry, and an easy win for those looking to watch the action online, is more needed from eSports to move into the mainstream?
Do the biggest eSports events need to be on TV around the world, shown alongside the sports they are competing against rather than on a separate platform tucked away online that will only attract those who are fans already?
If eSports wants to take the next step, it needs to move into the mainstream, and they do that by offering a TV deal that is capable of picking up new casual fans. These don’t need to become hardcore eSports watchers, but do need to show interest and watch when something is on TV.
Can Big Sponsorship Deals be Landed?
Every sport would love to be able to survive without an injection of money, but sadly that is rarely possible.
If eSports wants to be alongside other big names from the sporting world then they need to match them in terms of sponsorship levels. This can be relative, not matching them from a financial point of view.
The biggest events need some kind of big sponsorship deal attached to them. Having a big name do this would add credibility, while also showing to people that big names are happy to get involved.
One area to look at for eSports has to be the betting industry. We’ve already spoken about how the betting industry can help eSports, could they help here too? Would a bookmaker sponsor a big event to get their name out there even more so to the seasoned gamers and show they offer eSports betting, it could happen.
