Nielsen, the US-based global information and measurement company, has released its 2019 “Esports Playbook for Brands.”
According to Esports Playbook for Brands, non-gaming brand involvement in esports has increased by 13% over the past year. Mainstream brands outside of traditional video game brands are entering the space.
Nielsen points out that 90% of U.S. esports viewers on Twitch can name at least one non-gaming sponsor; 70% of U.S. Twitch users spend more time engaging with esports than they do with traditional sports.
“Esports fans respect and welcome those brands that embrace what they already love, and get the need for the revenue and exposure that sponsors, distributors, and content creators bring with them,” says Bobby Sharma, founding partner of the Esports advisory firm Electronic Sports Group, in the playbook.
“But they also know when they are being used as test subjects… and that is where things can go awry,” he adds.