eSports are electronic game competitions between professional players, who can play individually or collectively for prizes and recognition. The first known electronic sports competition took place in 1972 and since then the games and competitions market has grown exponentially: today there are more than 3 billion players in the world and an average growth of 5.3% per year in most regions. (see graphic below).

These events can be watched through conventional media platforms, such as TV, or streaming platforms, such as Facebook Gaming, Twitch, Booyah!, among others. In 2021, the global audience exceeded 470 million people, of which a little more than half are occasional viewers, that is, they watch sporadically, at least once a month.

With all this reach, audience growth is already forecast to over 570 million viewers by 2024, counting occasions and enthusiasts. The expectation in the gaming market, mainly eSports, is US$1.185 billion in revenue in 2024, counting only the sponsorship and media rights for electronic sports category. The forecast is higher than the 2021 global esports revenue for all categories, which is $1.084 billion.

In Latin America, the potential for audience and revenue growth is also enormous: Brazil ranks 3rd in audience for e-sports tournaments and, according to Newzoo's Global Esports Market Report, considered the most reliable source of world for insights and analysis on eSports, in Brazil football is the most popular, with 24% of the audience that follows the sport is between 10 and 24 years old. Already in the audience of eSports tournaments, 43% of spectators are that age.

In 2019, before the pandemic, another study by Newzoo showed that the eSports industry had revenues of $957.5 million. In 2020, with the health measures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the absence of championships, there was a small drop of 1.1%. In 2021, revenue grew by 14.5%, with more than US$ 1 billion raised. The projection for 2024 is that the modality will earn US$ 1.6 billion.

The research also brought precious data about the Brazilian public:

– 75.8% of Brazilian gamers said they played more during the pandemic.

– 42.2% said they spent more money on games;

– Women are 62.2% of the total smartphone players while on consoles, 61.9% are men;

– The main age group of players was 25 to 34 years old (33.6%). Now the main range is in 20 to 29 years old (41.1%);

– Women are the majority of players in the country, representing 51.5% of the players.

For all these reasons, more and more international companies have invested in the Brazilian market and achieved resounding success in terms of both revenue and new consumers. If you also want to invest in this market and take advantage of the full range of services and products demanded by customers, Paylivre offers the best services in borderless digital payments, with a robust gateway and competitive rates. Contact us and don't miss this great opportunity for your business.