Connect with us
Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

eSports

The Russian esports audience has grown to 15.4 million people in 2020

Published

on

Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

Nielsen Sports, a leading provider of analytical information and statistics in the sports industry, shared the results of a new Russian esports audience research in his speech at the ESforce Morning Show online conference. According to the company, the audience of esports fans in Russia for 2020 increased by 28% and amounted to 15.4 million people aged 13 and over.

According to a new research, among esports fans, 64% of men and 36% of women, the average audience income is 41,700 rubles per person. In 2020, Nielsen Sports analysts found a significant increase in fans: 25% of fans surveyed began to follow matches during the past year, of which 54% are girls and women.

Michael Heina, Head of esports International at Nielsen Sports: “Esports has a strong fanbase in Russia and as our research shows it is still growing. The growth even got a boost during the global pandemic, as many people turned to gaming as a good and entertaining way to spend their time. And as the growing number of esports fans in Russia shows many of these gamers also discovered how fun it is to follow esports. But, it will be crucial for the rights holders to keep the fans interested and offer them many and attractive ways to engage with their favorite topic so they don’t lose interest.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

But not only young males love esports, as many people think, we also see more and more female fans. This is a global trend but the effect is outstandingly strong in Russia”.

Sergey Barkhudaryan, Commercial Director of ESforce Holding: “Such a significant increase in the audience was not a surprise for us, it is in line with our annual forecast for the development of the industry. The entire industry works every day to promote esports and fight for the attention of a wider audience. We try to be relevant to people of different ages, preferences, and interests. ESforce is constantly working on studying the esports audience, as it is critical for us to be transparent and effective for our partners. Of course, our partners also play an important role in the growth of the industry, as they focus their advertising campaigns not only on the target audience of esports, but also on a wider audience of their potential customers and consumers, thereby popularizing the industry. I am sure that in 2021 we will see even more new brands and interesting projects on the territory of esports”.

Nielsen Sports, the global division of Nielsen, is an independent provider of analytics and consulting in the areas of fan research, sports marketing, and sponsorship. Nielsen has previously launched a global online platform, Fan Insights, where copyright holders, brand sponsors and organizers of sports events will be able to get comprehensive information about the audience of various sports around the world: their interests, brand attitudes, media consumption and buying habits.

ESforce Holding is one of the biggest esports organizations in the world and the leader of the Russian esports. The holding company unites all esports business key areas: from its own professional esports club to organization of international tournaments, and from content creation and broadcasting to advertising and infrastructure projects.

ESforce Holding’s business include:

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

● Virtus.pro, the most renowned and popular esports club in Russia;

● RuHub Studio, the leading Russian-speaking esports broadcasting studio;

● Cybersport.ru, the main esports media in CIS;

● EPICENTER, the largest esports tournament series in CIS;

● Yota Arena, esports-entertainment venue.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

ESforce’s resources cover more than 90% of the esports audience in Russia and CIS, as well as a significant segment of the international audience. A marketing agency — a member of the holding — ensures the synergy of the holding’s business units with the clients and partners in mind.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

eSports

GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends

Published

on

giantx-unveils-its-team-for-the-spanish-superliga-of-league-of-legends
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

The global esports organization GIANTX has officially presented the roster for its League of Legends Superliga team, the most prestigious esports competition in Spain, organized by the LVP. The roster includes Feisty (midlaner) and Aetinoth (ADC), who continue for another year after establishing themselves as key players for the organization, and newcomers Badlulu (toplaner), Ferret (jungler), and Lospa (support).

The team, known as GIANTX Pride, will be led by Fearless, a veteran coach who has already won three Superliga titles with GIANTX. After previous stints with teams like Guasones and Rebels, Fearless returns to lead this young and promising roster as they pursue the organization’s long-awaited eighth Superliga trophy, with the season set to begin in January 2025.

The roster was revealed during an event at the Home of GIANTX in Málaga, attended by over 150 fans and supported by Opel, the team’s main partner in the Superliga. The event featured activities, giveaways, and a showmatch against Barça Esports, where fans got a first glimpse of the team in action.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Feisty (South Korea, 2003) and Aetinoth (Turkey, 2005) return for another year, having gained recognition as rising talents with potential for the LEC, Europe’s premier competition in which GIANTX also competes. Badlulu (France, 2002), with prior experience in the Superliga at CASE Esports, joins as the toplaner. Ferret (Turkey, 2001), a promising jungler from the Turkish scene, comes from FUT, while Lospa (South Korea, 2002), a former Iberian Cup champion, joins as support after training in Gen.G Academy.

GIANTX Pride is the most decorated organization in Superliga LVP history, with seven titles to its name. The last victory came in the summer of 2021, and the team is determined to add the elusive eighth trophy to its collection. The Superliga for 2025 will feature ten teams, including Barça Esports, Guasones, Los Heretics, LUA Gaming, Movistar KOI, Ramboot Club, UCAM Esports, VENI VIDI VICI, and ZETA, competing across three splits—winter, spring, and summer.

The LVP, part of Grupo Mediapro, has introduced changes to the Superliga’s format for 2025. The updated calendar will be released soon, setting the stage for another thrilling season.

The post GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)
Continue Reading

eSports

GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity

Published

on

grid-joins-ibia-as-an-associate-member,-strengthening-esports-integrity
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

GRID, an esports data platform, has officially joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as a first esports-focused Associate Member. This collaboration signifies a pivotal moment for esports integrity, aligning GRID with IBIA and its globally recognized integrity-focused members, who monitor over $300bn in sports bets per annum and have a growing focus on esports betting.

With this partnership, GRID and IBIA are committed to collaboratively addressing any integrity issues in esports, fostering trust across stakeholders, and setting a benchmark for excellence in the ecosystem. GRID has been a certified member of IBIA’s Data Standards program since 2022, actively contributing to the development of tailored esports integrity protocols. This membership further underscores GRID’s dedication to transparency and collaboration in combating betting-related corruption within esports.

Since 2018, GRID has operated an internal integrity department pioneering official data-driven solutions for esports. This makes GRID one of the first companies to monitor tournament and data integrity in the competitive sports sector and actively flag and report suspicious behavior, enabling it to collect a large database of integrity reports and insights.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

IBIA is a not-for-profit body that protects regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. It represents over 50 of the world’s leading betting companies which operate over 125 sports betting brands. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets using transactional activity linked to individual customer accounts.

Under the partnership, GRID and IBIA will share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their respective monitoring and intelligence platforms. IBIA members will also benefit from free access to wider integrity-focused resources supplied by GRID.

Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry. This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome GRID as an Associate Member of IBIA. This partnership is a landmark for the esports sector and reflects our commitment to expanding our integrity initiatives into new markets. GRID’s expertise in esports data monitoring and integrity standards is an invaluable asset in our shared mission to combat betting corruption globally.”

 

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

The post GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

eSports

ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics

Published

on

comeon-group-and-astralis-unite-to-drive-esports-engagement-in-the-nordics
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

ComeOn Group announced a sponsorship partnership between its flagship brand ComeOn! and Denmark based Astralis, one of the most esteemed esports organisations globally. As a global leader in esports, Astralis is providing a vibrant and engaging esports experience that is aligned with ComeOn!’s brand experience and is further enhanced by its focus in providing a leading esports betting destination.

As the official sponsor of Astralis, ComeOn! will be prominently featured across all of their platforms, including social media, team events, and competitive gaming content, boosting their brand exposure in key global markets with a focus on the Nordics. ComeOn! is already known as a vibrant brand in the Nordics and with the increased brand visibility it will be put at the heart of the fast-growing esports scene.

ComeOn Group continues to invest in its Sportsbook product experience that is powered by its proprietary sportsbook platform, where esports holds an important strategic market opportunity with its ever growing demand.

Advertisement
European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited to team up with Astralis as this collaboration not only allows us to showcase our innovative Sportsbook platform but also strengthens our ties to the esports community. This partnership is very much in the heart of one of the fastest growing betting markets globally. Esports has seen great demand by our audiences, and we want to provide the best betting experience for our customers. This partnership is also a testament to our localisation and personalisation focus and by working together with Astralis, we can deliver unique experiences that resonate with our players and elevate the entertainment experience around competitive gaming.”

Mads Rasmussen, Commercial Director at Astralis, said: ”We are proud to present ComeOn Group as our new global partner. This partnership holds great significance for Astralis both as an organization and as a business, and we look forward to bringing the agreement to life, benefiting the vast majority of our fanbase – who are adults. We have undergone a long and very positive process with ComeOn, and the fact that they are European-based with licenses in all our key markets, including Denmark, has been a decisive factor in our decision. Astralis fans, both in Denmark and internationally, can look forward to an innovative new digital activation, which promises to deliver an exciting and engaging experience.”

The post ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Trending