The growing e-sports business: operators look for skin in the game

E-sports is catching the eye of many, with growing levels of investment, a young audience and an expanding ecosystem. E-sports is expected to grow in global revenues from $1.4 billion in 2022 to $1.9 billion in 2025 (annual growth of 10%), according to Newzoo. Its rising prospects can also be seen in recent decisions by the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games to include e-sports in upcoming events, following the International Olympic Committee holding its first e-sports event in 2021.

For operators eyeing the e-sports opportunity, options include sponsorship, distribution, ownership and B2B infrastructure partnerships. These four routes are not mutually exclusive; operators’ strategies will often be a combination of the different routes. However, the areas with the most value are those where operators themselves will need to compete hardest to win the game.