Since its humble beginnings in the 1990s, esports has become a global phenomenon. Millions of players and spectators today gather around online competitions, transforming a hobby into a multi-billion dollar industry. The global audience for e-sports is expected to exceed 630 million viewers by 2025, which represents a considerable increase compared to the 435 million viewers in 2020. Last year, the world championship of League of Legends reached a peak audience of more than 6.4 million viewers, making it the most watched esports tournament in history. While streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube have largely contributed to this boom, connected television (CTV) is poised to become the new Eldorado of e-sport.
Transition to television: the integration of e-sport on CTV
As esports gains traction as a mainstream viewing experience, fans and esports event owners are now turning to the biggest screen in the home: the television. The shift in audiences from esports to television is largely because audiences have already become accustomed to playing on televisions thanks to consoles. In fact, 26% of devices in European homes are equipped with an active games console and 30% of the total time spent by owners of televisions connected to a console is devoted to games. So the idea of players switching from computers to television to watch esports competitions is becoming more and more widespread.
The rise of connected television has revolutionized the media landscape, allowing more flexible and personalized consumption of content. This development comes at the right time for e-sport, whose audience, mainly young, is fond of online content. CTV allows fans to follow their favorite teams and discover new competitions without being limited by the constraints of linear broadcasting. This phenomenon simplifies access to platforms dedicated to e-sport, allowing spectators to effortlessly move from a classic program to a competitive competition. League of Legends or Counter-Strike. Additionally, CTV offers superior broadcast quality, with the ability to watch competitions in 4K, creating an immersive experience comparable to the biggest traditional sporting events.
A growing market
Esports is no longer just niche entertainment; it is a growing culture which, with the support of new technologies such as connected television, is redefining the codes of audiovisual consumption. For channels and platforms, the challenge is high: it is about capturing this young, passionate and hyperconnected audience, by offering them ever more immersive and personalized content. As connected TV continues to become more popular, esports has every chance of becoming an essential pillar of home entertainment.
Thus, e-sport on connected television represents a considerable commercial opportunity. Traditional brands and broadcasters are becoming aware of the potential of this market. Traditional sports channels, like ESPN, have started broadcasting e-sports competitions, seeking to capture a share of this audience. But it is the personalization of the experience that could truly shake up the sector: interactive applications allowing you to follow several streams simultaneously, to choose your camera angles, or even to participate in live debates via social networks are all features that already captivate users.
But how can brands ensure fans continue to strengthen their association between esports and television? How can e-sports organizers consolidate the role of television in enriching the shared experience between the event and television? The Smart TV home screen provides a platform to capture the audience at the most opportune moment in order to attract them to the most relevant entertainment. Through the use of first-party data, advertisers can identify TV owners who are particularly interested in esports or related content. This unique data makes it possible to target TVs in a granular manner and offer personalized content.
Bringing esports audiences to the biggest screen in the home means audiences for esports tournaments will continue to grow – engaging existing audiences and attracting future generations of fans e-sports. In short, connected television does not just broadcast e-sport: it sublimates it, transforms it, and contributes to its growth as a global phenomenon.
