In 2020 alone, there was a 70% increase in the number of eSports viewers in the US – The global audience for esports is growing dramatically and expected to total 474 million viewers this year. That’s according to the market research firm Newzoo, which has released its 2021 Global Esports and Live Streaming Market Report. This audience is projected to grow at a rate of 7.7% annually to pass the half-billion mark in 2022 and reach 577.2 million in 2024.
Since bursting on the scene just a decade ago, esports is now rivaling viewership numbers for traditional spectator sports. According to NewZoo market Research, twitch gamers watched during the month of April:
- 157 million hours of League of Legends
- 111 million hours of Call of Duty
- 70 million hours of Counter Strike: GO
- 49.8 million hours of Dota 2
- 32 million hours of FIFA 21
- 24.2 million hours of Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six: Siege
In October 2020 League of Legends world championship, drew 45 million online viewers. That’s about the size of the television audience for the six games combined of last year’s NBA Finals.