Growth of esports 'has already impacted traditional sports'
A surge in investments made into the booming esports sector is now creating competition for traditional sports.
The second annual Esports Survey, which surveyed more than 200 sports executives, showed that nearly all respondents (90 per cent) feel the growth of esports has already impacted traditional sports.
The areas in which the executives feel esports is now challenging mainstream sport the most are digital media and livestream viewing options, while more than half (57 per cent) said there is already increased competition for viewership.
Traditional sports are, however, taking the challenge head on by getting involved in the sector themselves.
A number of European football clubs – from Dutch giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven to Premier League champions Manchester City – have dipped their toes into professional gaming, taking part in major competitions and hiring professional gamers.
The report shows that most respondents believe traditional sports teams/leagues, athletes and celebrities will increase investment in esports – with 88 per cent believe they will do so to a "significant or moderate extent" over the next year.
Traditional sports are also predicted to face increasing competition when it comes to investment in sports.
Nearly half of respondents (47 per cent) to the survey anticipate increased investment in esports from private equity and venture capital firms over the next year. The figure is up from 39 per cent in the 2018 survey, an indication that the sector is mature enough to draw an array of investors.
"The increased involvement of private equity and venture capital firms is a clear sign that traditional investors believe in the longevity of the space and have made the financial judgment that esports is now part of the culture,” said Bobby Sharma, special adviser to Foley’s Sports & Entertainment Group, which undertook the research for the report.
"Investors are betting on the opportunity here given the massive scale of the global competitive video gaming audience."
To download and read the full report, click here.
football clubs Dutch Ajax PSV Eindhoven Premier League Manchester City gaming esportsDAP Group to design Europe's largest esports venue in Stockholm
Populous designs largest esports venue in Southern Hemisphere
HOK and SAP envision 'esports venue of the future' in new report
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
Tom Walker exploresthe storybehind TottenhamHotspur’sgroundbreakingnew footballstadium