The esports industry needs to grab and secure its share of advertisers’ budgets before the next recession kicks in, writes David Fenlon in this guest piece.
In lockdown, esports has become the darling of the entertainment world. Mainstream media outlets’ tone has changed from labelling these activities with pariah status to lauding competitive video gaming as a heroic tool battling loneliness in lockdown conditions. Gone are the articles about “the dangers of video gaming addiction” and the commercial problems of the esports world. It also provides live content which the same media channels fill their now empty programming schedule due to the lack of professional sport.