Esports and Sports Sector - Thematic Research

An analysis of Esports in the Sports Sector provides a detailed, yet easy to follow overview of the esports industry in the sports sector, including a look at the key leaders in the industry and a detailed analysis of the esports value chain.

Interest in esports is booming - Esports is the fastest-growing theme in the gaming sector. These organized multiplayer video game competitions have enjoyed spectacular growth over the last decade, with thousands of fans filling stadiums to watch live events and millions following them on streaming platforms. Although esports currently caters to a niche audience, in 2025 the global audience of esports is expected to be over 318 million. In 2022, the global esports industry was valued at more than 1.4 billion. This is nearly a 50% increase from 2021.

Olympic Esports Games - The Olympic organizing body, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), suggested towards the end of 2023 that it was exploring plans to create an Olympic Esports Games. The younger generations have a new way of thinking, and their lives are lived very digitally. Therefore, as the IOC President pointed out, this must not be ignored. What it might include and how it would be formatted is yet to be revealed. With that being said, introducing esports to the Olympic movement could potentially expose esports to an audience who never would have watched otherwise. The path of esports is mirroring the rise of action sports.

The market will continue to grow - According to Newzoo, the esports market saw a slight decline in 2022, however, it began to recover in 2023 and it is expected that this trend will continue through 2024. In terms of how the esports market will develop, mobile gaming is expected to grow, offering greater accessibility across a range of devices. The mobile gaming esports industry saw two years of decline from 2021 to 2023 due to difficult market conditions, especially around user acquisition. However, mobile gaming is likely to recover. With mobile gaming being a newer feature of esports, the mobile esports market is expected to grow to over $5.4 billion by 2030, according to Statista. Game consoles have seen major improvements, as the industry is seeing newer video games with sharper and more innovative features that will require adaptation from esports players. However, game consoles will struggle to compete in the long-term with PCs and mobiles, which are the most preferred devices for esports players.

Winners - Below we identify some of the companies that will benefit from esports’ growing popularity, classified by their position in the esports value chain :

• Games: Tencent, Valve, Epic Games, Microsoft (Activision Blizzard), Ubisoft, and Krafton (PUBG).
• Events: Valve, Microsoft (Activision Blizzard), Tencent, and Axis Sports.
• Channels: Amazon (Twitch), Alphabet (YouTube), DouYu, and Huya.
• Teams: Team Liquid, OG, Team Spirit, and Evil Geniuses.
• Sports teams and leagues: PSG, Man City, Phoenix Suns, Formula One, NBA

A detailed overview of the key leaders in the esports sector, and also an industry analysis of the esports market size and predicted growth forecast. The report also provides an in-depth analysis of the esports value chain.

Who should buy

Investors who are attempting to understand the current dynamics of esports in the sports sector and industry professionals who want a detailed analysis on the sector' key trends, market size, and growth forecast.

Scope

This report provides an overview of esports in the sports sector, including the key leaders, a look at some of key trends, an analysis of the industry in terms of market size and growth forecasts, and also a in-depth analysis of the esports value chain and its key players.

Reasons to Buy

For those wanting an in-depth analysis of esports in the sports sector.