An Olympic Medal for Super Smash Bros?
This week on Mindshare's Culture Vulture Live, Alexis Fragale talks about the rise of eSports.
The International eGames Committee is soon hosting their global eGames tournament in Rio. It's not part of the Summer Olympics, but the timing and location isn't exactly a coincidence. In fact, another group, the International e-Sports Federation, is actually applying to have eSports recognized as an official sport in the 2020 Olympics.
These moves are just the latest examples of how big this medium has gotten. Just last week, Twitter livestreamed its very first eSports tournament. And TBS has been airing games on TV all season long. In fact, according to NewZoo, global revenues for eSports will reach $1.1 billion in 2019.
For a long time, the stereotype has been that eSports fans are just teenagers or college kids playing in their basements. But research that we did at Mindshare shows that there's a big opportunity for brands to reach working professionals with buying power.
In our research, we found that 43% of eSports fans have an annual household income of $75,000 per year or higher -- and nearly one-thirdhave a household income of $90,000 per year or higher!
Our research also shows how eSports is a deeply social experience. 67% of fans say they've made new friends or acquaintances through the games. And 60% are actually willing to travel to see their favorite games or players in person.
See more of our eSports research in the infographic below or at MindshareInTheLoop.com.
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