It's no secret that esports has exploded in popularity, with many of today's top colleges investing in the area. The rapid rise has caught the attention of the media and entertainment industries, with studies forecasting that the esports audience will reach 434 million people this year.

Its popularity appeared to rise during the epidemic, at a time when material consumption was at an all-time high and many viewers, stranded at home, were looking for new ways to pass the time. The hole left by the termination of live sports events has aided the growth of esports, particularly as streaming has become one of the few means to supply fresh content.

By the end of 2025, the esports streaming and gaming sector is anticipated to be worth $3.5 billion. Has the streaming TV industry taken full advantage of this vast opportunity as esports becomes more popular?

With the globe streaming more than ever before, it's critical to consider how esports has influenced the television industry to date, as well as where the market may improve as the media and entertainment industry prepares for the post-pandemic period. Furthermore, where does the esports category stand in terms of future innovation and potential in the realm of streaming TV?

The power of esports today

From the Super Bowl to the Olympics, television used to be the go-to source for at-home viewers of the world's most important live sporting events. Change, like everything else, is unavoidable, and survival necessitates ingenuity. Viewers find esports events enticing because of their accessibility and connectedness.

Esports has evolved into a new entertainment style for everyone, with millennials and Gen Zers gravitating toward it in particular. It's clear that esports is putting interconnectivity at the forefront of the future of media consumption through streaming.

Esports has long been considered a niche business, but it has allowed larger media outlets, such as world777, achieve notoriety in a relatively short period of time. The concern now is how esports popularity would affect the streaming TV market.

In the era of streaming TV, unlocking the latent potential of esports

Esports broadcasting growth exploded as a result of the pandemic, with sources claiming that Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming all saw large boosts in online viewing in 2020. Streaming TV suffered its own surges, with reports currently indicating that any gains made during the peak of worldwide lockdowns are likely to be permanent.

We can only expect esports to expand as a new and growing category on both paid and free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms as the streaming TV category continues to grow to new, higher audience statistics. There is definitely a market for esports, and streaming TV has the ability to take the category further than it has ever gone before, with channels dedicated to the games themselves, esports commentary, dissecting the important players and their career paths, and more.

Esports will have its own stars, experts, and big tentpole moments as it continues to establish itself as a prominent category in sports entertainment. In today's streaming TV landscape, esports may become what traditional sports are on linear TV: a category dedicated to everything from live events to key replays to industry insights, all presented on a national, local, and collegiate level. What's the added value of esports' entry into the streaming TV market? Encouraging more cross-platform interaction.

Looking ahead to the future of esports

Today, esports athletes play multiplayer games on one platform and then interact with one another on another site, such as Discord, to remark and collaborate. If streaming providers get this right, we may see World777 live streams of games on streaming TV platforms tomorrow and in the future, while spectators connect and communicate on other platforms like Twitter and Discord. This might be the new esports ecosystem, providing a central location for fans and players to interact.

Furthermore, with the monetization of viewership and sponsorships via streaming TV platforms, there is a genuine chance to increase revenue in this industry. It all comes down to interconnectedness. We all know that streaming TV is the way of the future when it comes to entertainment. As the popularity of esports grows, the door to a world of possibilities opens up.

Perhaps VR technology will arrive on the scene and not only provide an extra layer of interaction, but also shake things up as we know it. If there's one thing that's certain, it's that esports' future potential in the streaming TV era is enormous, and the chance is waiting to be seized.

Anish Giri

Anish Giri