GitHyp published the top games streamed in 2016 and I found the volumes eye-opening.    Most striking to me was that the peak streaming volumes in 2016, especially for the top properties (CSGO, LOL, DOTA2) approached the peak volumes that I’ve seen for some of my big customers at Verizon Digital Media – except that my customers are big 3 and 4 letter broadcasters, with premium content.

source: http://www.githyp.com/twitchs-most-watched-games-of-2016/

What the data helped me recognize is that E-sports is real, not just from a physical and training perspective for athletes, but also from a business perspective, it might actually be poised to overtake many other sports.

Market Size and Comparison to Broadcast Streaming

According to e-sports market researcher  Newzoo, the E-Sports market is going to grow to 165 million enthusiasts by 2019 with a relatively modest growth rate projection of 11.2%.

source: Newzoo

When compared to the 2% decline  (specifically 2 million out of 100 million subscribers) reported by Disney last November, a stark relief is put in place – E-Sports is growing faster than ESPN is shrinking.  ESPN obviously  recognized this well before I did,  launching ESports coverage in January 2016 and streaming some major events on ESPN3.

But wait a second – isn’t most of the Sports growth coming in Asia? And good thing ESPN is big in Asia….right?  Let’s check the ownership structure…

whoops.

Better Late than Never

I’ve always heard that e-sports was going to be  big, but to me it has always been one of those things that is far away in the distant future.  Finally getting to see these statistics in contrast has convinced me that that time is already here, and it’s time to buy a house on E-sports Island.  Come on and be my neighbor!