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Watching eSports set to become a $3.5B industry

02:08 PM March 20, 2017
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PewDiePie

Swedish video game commentator Felix Kjellberg, a.k.a. PewDiePie. Image: Roslan Rahman/AFP

A new report into eSports and games streaming habits highlights that using platforms like Twitch to watch other people playing video games is officially a thing.

In fact, according to Juniper Research it’s already a $1.8 billion thing, and by 2021, this new pastime will be generating $3.5 billion in revenues every year.

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Thanks to Twitch and other live-streaming platforms, the popularity of watching eSports and of watching casual gamers going through “let’s play” tutorials or discovery clips has exploded in recent years.

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Juniper puts this down to two factors: those that enjoy gaming looking to find out more about a new title or play that title better; and the growing popularity of broadcasters that use “let’s play” and eSports footage in their videos. In this regard, PewDiePie is by far the most well-known digital celebrity and is one that has built his channel on video games as much as comedic content.

In fact, according to Juniper, even his high-profile separation from his biggest commercial sponsors hasn’t dented his standing among his fans.

Research author Lauren Foye explained: “A breach of a sponsor’s values can result in the termination of lucrative partnerships. Nevertheless, a rise in PewDiePie’s channel engagement following the scandal highlights a quandary sponsors are facing.” JB

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TAGS: let's play, PewDiePie, Twitch
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