Last month, our IP Outlook webinar series looked at the emerging opportunities and risks for brand owners exploring opportunities in the esports market: from innovative advertising and marketing activities during tournaments and within games, sponsorship of tournaments or teams, to merchandise and fan items.The recording of the webinar is now available to watch here.
What are esports?
Esports refers to competitive video gaming at a professional level, with competitors playing matches in arenas with huge live and online audiences, accompanied by match commentators. The buzz and spectacle accompanying those matches, as well as their audience reach, easily reach Olympic spheres, and outshine most traditional sports events.
The numbers speak for themselves: esports have generated over US$900 million in revenues in 2018, with revenues expected to grow to US$1.4 billion by 2020. Today, it is lined up to be the next billion dollar industry, reaching broad global audiences and attracting heavy investment and endorsement from major brands across all sectors. Meanwhile, many questions around right ownership and regulatory implications in this dynamic multi-stakeholder industry are still uncharted territory.
In January, we launched our third Global Intellectual Property Outlook, covering esports and many more legal, political and technological trends transforming the field of intellectual property.
You can read the Outlook here.