Research firm SuperData reported a total of $892.8 million of revenue in eSports for the year 2016. Asia holds the largest contribution to this figure having a total profit of $328 million. North America follows with $275 million and Europe with $269 million.
Sponsorships And Advertisements Set 74% Of eSport Revenue
The largest contribution to the overall eSports revenue for 2016, however, comes from indirect sources which are sponsorships and advertisement. Only nice percent or $78 million of the reported revenue comes from tournament prize pool and four percent or $34 million from ticket sales. The rest of contributors are eSports betting sites, amateur tournaments, and merchandise.
Asia Tops Global eSport Market
Asia sets the largest contribution to the eSports market globally with $328 million. The countries Korea and China tend to have the biggest factor for this record. The game League of Legends, which is recorded as the top grossing PC game, has its top teams from Korea. And Dota 2, the largest esport prize pool provider, has a prominent number of teams from China. North America is on par with Europe with profits $275 million and $269 million, respectively.
SuperData recorded 214 Million eSports Audience
The number of eSports viewers for this year drastically increased to 214 million from last year's 188 million. This is due to several actions made by the publishers by turning popular titles like Rocket League, Hearthstone, and League of Legends into eSports. Valve also rewarded its Dota 2 players by releasing contents for the game to raise The International prize pool. SuperData, however, reported that the added number of viewers is not necessarily an indicator of growth in revenue.
Most Of eSports Viewers And Players Are Male
An overwhelming 85 percent of eSport audience and players from the US are males. Most of the US viewers age 18-24 years old and earn an average $45,000 a year. According to SuperData, online toxicity discourages female gamers from becoming professional. This is evident in the case of the first pro female player Maria "Remilia" Creveling who dropped out due to online harassment. For complete statistics, read SuperData report.
