Esports comes to play at IBC2019

IBC will explore the technical and commercial opportunities and challenges of the rapidly growing world of esports with an exclusive showcase on 17 September.

The Esports Showcase, which is powered by ESL, EVS and Lagardère and sponsored by NEP, IHSE and the City of Amsterdam, will feature a live esports tournament in the RAI Auditorium taking advantage of a unique combination of world-class technology placing spectators at the heart of the action.

ESL’s National Championship teams from Germany and Spain will go head-to-head in a live Counter-Strike tournament on the big cinema screen with the Dolby stereo.

IBC will bring together some of the most influential people in the world of esports, to explore the latest trends and development, considering the business case for esports from stretch targets, challenges and opportunities for esports players and the technical delivery of esports programs.

IBC director Steve Connolly said: “The esports focused events and activities that we presented at last year’s show were incredibly popular, underlining the unprecedented opportunities that the esports market represents.

“This year we have created a dedicated showcase with leading industry experts who will examine the state of the industry, separate the hype from the real value, highlight the production challenges and much more. It will be an unmissable day for anyone with an interest in esports.”

• Read more Getting to grips with esports production 

Globally, esports delivers younger audiences on digital channels unheard of in traditional sports broadcasting making this a brand-new revenue opportunity for players in the media ecosystem.

Revenues are set to exceed $1 billion in 2019, representing year-on-year growth of 26.7%, and are forecast to reach $3 billion by 2022.

Sponsorship is currently the highest source of revenue, the fastest-growing source of revenue is now media rights which are estimated to reach 40% of total revenues by 2022.