The Future of Esports Broadcasting as ESPN Pulls All of Their Esports Programming
As esports continues to grow in popularity, reach, and capital interest, ESPN made the unexpected decision to end all their esports broadcasting. In the wake of this decision, Daniel Litwin, Host, Voice of B2B consulted Chris Mann, SVP gaming and esports division, REV/XP on how eSports media should continue to think about the future of their target audience.
“So when you think about audience, we always refer to our fans, our audience in this space as a community. And the way that we talk to them, the way that we engage with them, is a two way conversation. And that’s why, you know, this space is so much more impactful for brands that come in and do it in a really impactful and value driving way,” Mann said.
He posed an interesting question. Why are brands investing in the esports and gaming space? The platforms that are working and hosting conversations such as Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and Tick Tock, provide opportunities to work with brands as they come into the space and they can engage their audience.
Mann brings experience from the team side of esports with Dignitas, as well as on the agency side with clients including Chipotle on their esports strategies. He worked with Campbell’s for 10 years and was involved in the NFL partnership and leading that. One of the things that most drove him to the esports and gaming space, and leaving the opportunity around the NFL, was the long term outlook. He saw potential for the growth, innovation, and conversations being had.
Mann believes the future of this industry is digital. “Short term, I think we’ll continue to see that the audience is digital. It’s digital in nature and the audience is watching less linear TV. Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a 27% decrease in 18 to 30 year olds watching TV while gaming content has increased by 26%. You know and I think that speaks volumes to how they’re getting engaged now and in the future,” Mann said.
Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!
Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale
Latest
Retailers Need to Enhance Omnichannel Consumer Experience to Benefit
According to the National Retail Federation, almost 200 million consumers were shopping over Thanksgiving weekend. The NRF reports that “the total number of shoppers grew by nearly 17 million from 2021 and is the highest figure since NRF first started tracking this data in 2017”, this growth being in large part to the record-breaking […]
Honda Autonomous Driving is the First Level-3 System from US Manufacturer
Watch out Tesla – Honda has announced their latest innovation in autonomous driving with “Sensing 360.” Honda plans to roll out this technology suite globally in 2024. Honda autonomous driving will feature assisted driving features like “Autonomous emergency braking with expanded cross-traffic, pedestrian detection capabilities, front cross-traffic alert, active lane-change assist (blind-spot monitoring), [and] […]
What Tesla Electric Semi-trucks Mean for Pepsi Co. and the Trucking Industry
Elon Musk recently shipped the first order of the Tesla electric semi-trucks to Pepsi Co. with a few more companies to follow in coming months. This marks the beginning of Tesla’s new long-range hauling vehicle finally hitting the road and entering into the shipping and hauling industry. Bob Galyen of Galyen Energy LLC notes that […]
