Report Summary
Everything you need to make the right decisions
Providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information and analysis of the E-sports – China market including the behaviours, preferences and habits of the consumer.
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What are the key challenges facing the industry? Who is the consumer and what do they want? Where are the opportunities, where are the risks and what lies ahead?
Covered in this report
The Report covers consumer evolvement with esports within the past 12 months, the trend of top driven streaming platforms, spending on esports related products and game-playing consumers’ perception of esports tournaments. Additionally, the Report also addresses the trend of esports going forward as a professional competitive sport through different consumer demographics.
Expert analysis from a specialist in the field
Written by Xinyuan Xu, a leading analyst in the Gaming sector, her extensive knowledge delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
COVID-19 has slowed fan-based revenue growth, but boosts gaming number which will be a good asset for esports industry going forward. Compared to traditional sports tournaments, esports had an easier transition online. The perception of esports is similar to traditional sports in terms of the competitiveness between teams. Considering the infancy of the business model in regards to esports, leagues and teams are still exploring new ways of branding, competitions, and social viewing
Xinyuan Xu
Associate Research Analyst
Table of Contents
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Overview
- What you need to know
- Covered in this Report
- Excluded
- Definition
- What you need to know
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Executive Summary
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- The market
- Figure 1: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on esports, September 2020
- eSports market gaining substantially
- Figure 2: Market volume of esports in China, by billions of people, 2014-22 est
- Figure 3: Market size of esports in China, in RMB million 2016-22 est
- Centrally promoted and encouraged
- Continuation of broader trends in technology and communication
- Companies and brands
- Streaming platforms top heavy
- Game developers
- eSports clubs
- The consumer
- Making and viewing gaming content has gathered an audience in the past year
- Figure 4: eSports activities, September 2020 versus June 2019
- Engagement red flags after COVID-19
- Figure 5: Ways to de-stress, March-September 2020
- Two thirds of esports viewers go to Douyu
- Figure 6: Platforms for watching esports tournaments, September 2020
- KPL reigns on top in China
- Figure 7: eSports tournament penetration, September 2020
- eSports portrays serious competition instead of entertainment
- Figure 8: Emotion association with esports, September 2020
- Computing products the highest category spent for the esports consumers
- Figure 9: Spending on eSports, September 2020
- eSports can compete with traditional sports because of COVID-19
- Figure 10: Key demographics between traditional sports tournaments and esports tournaments, by gender and age, September 2020
- What we think
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Issues and Insights
- Different perceptions of esports present challenges and opportunities
- The facts
- The implications
- eSports is not only for youngers
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 11: World of Warcraft Classic Primer for New Players, August 2019
- eSports driving awareness and growth in other sectors
- The facts
- The implications
- Different perceptions of esports present challenges and opportunities
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The Market – What You Need to Know
- Centrally promoted and encouraged
- Money reaching new areas
- Driven by internet giants
- Long term upside from COVID-19 lockdown
- Potential for all games
- Centrally promoted and encouraged
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Market Size and Forecast
- eSports market gaining substantially
- Figure 12: Market volume of esports in China, by billions of people, 2014-22 est
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- Figure 13: Market value of esports in China, by RMB million, 2016-22 est
- eSports market gaining substantially
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Market Drivers
- Maturing business employment opportunities
- Figure 14: Secondary institutions and esports degree offered, 2019
- Licensing IP franchises to foster cross-category collaborations
- Figure 15: Onmyoji musical production, 2018
- 5G gaming
- Maturing business employment opportunities
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Key Players – What You Need to Know
- Increasingly diverse cross-category collaboration with esports
- Tencent’s appeal to foreign gaming companies
- Streaming platforms increasingly commercialised
- Increasingly diverse cross-category collaboration with esports
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Key player performances
- Platforms and tournaments
- Figure 16: 2020 esports livestream tournaments and platforms
- Clubs (both traditional sports and esports)
- Internet giants
- Platforms and tournaments
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Competitive Strategies
- Establishing joint venture for great opportunity
- Rising trend of naming right
- Training facilities improve performance
- eSports meets mainstream entertainment
- Figure 17: Go Go Squid a tale of digital romance, July 2019
- Establishing joint venture for great opportunity
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Who’s Innovating?
- Cross-branding with fashion industry
- Figure 18: Cross branding between Louis Vuitton and League of Legend December 2019
- Figure 19: Nike and LPL brand crossover, September 2019
- Gaming furniture
- Figure 20: Herman Miller’s esports furniture portfolio, July 2020
- Adaptogenic ingredients in esports
- Figure 21: Diclofenac’s commercial collaboration with Uzi, September 2020
- Wearables for players
- Figure 22: BeANCA’s arm cover, July 2020
- Smartphone for gaming
- Figure 23: Nubia Red Magic 5G, March 2020
- eSports enters livestream commerce
- Figure 24: Douyu and Taobao cross collaboration for 18 June Mid-year shopping festival 2020
- Cross-branding with fashion industry
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The Consumer – What You Need to Know
- Competitive gaming attracts 85% of adults
- Douyu has the most audience, but new players emerge
- eSports as a competition rather than entertainment
- Low spending on esports leads to more potential
- eSports gender difference compared to traditional sports
- Competitive gaming attracts 85% of adults
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Frequency of eSports Activities
- Making and viewing gaming content has gathered an audience in the past year
- Figure 25: esports activities, September 2020 versus June 2019
- eSports viewers branch outside of competitive gaming
- Figure 26: Frequency of esports activities, September 2020
- eSports enthusiasts are expected in youngers
- Figure 27: Frequency of esports activities, those who watched live-stream tournaments once a week or more, by key demographics, September 2020
- Engagement red flags after COVID-19
- Figure 28: Ways to de-stress, March-September 2020
- Making and viewing gaming content has gathered an audience in the past year
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Platforms for Watching eSports Tournaments
- Two thirds of esports viewers go to Douyu
- Figure 29: Platforms for watching esports tournaments, September 2020
- New platform emerges to share the live streaming of esports tournaments
- Figure 30: platforms for watching esports tournaments, September 2019 vs September 2020
- Age draws a line between Bilibili and Douyu
- Figure 31: Platforms for watching esports tournaments, Douyu and Bilibili, by age, September 2020
- eSports content on short video platforms
- Figure 32: Platforms for esports contents, Douyin and Kuaishou, by age by gender, September 2020
- The most diverse streaming: Magic Pro League
- Figure 33: Platforms for watching esports tournaments, count, by tournaments watched, September 2020
- Heavy users go to Douyu
- Figure 34: Platforms for watching esports tournaments, by user type, September 2020
- Two thirds of esports viewers go to Douyu
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eSports Tournaments Penetration
- KPL reigns top in China
- Figure 35: eSports tournaments penetration, September 2020
- Older games reach an older audience, while newer games bring in younger adults
- Figure 36: eSports tournaments penetration, by age, September 2020
- Significant increase in viewership for LPL
- Figure 37: eSports tournaments penetration, by gender, 2019 vs 2020
- KPL reigns top in China
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Emotion Associated with eSports
- eSports portrays serious competition instead of entertainment
- Figure 38: Emotion association with esports, September 2020
- Older consumers see it as trendy versus younger adults sees the sport as lit
- Figure 39: Emotion association with esports, by age, September 2020
- Lower tier city users are more aligned with the competitiveness of the sport
- Figure 40: Emotion association with esports, competitive, by city tier, September 2020
- eSports portrays serious competition instead of entertainment
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Spending on eSports
- Computing products the highest category spent for esports consumers
- Figure 41: Spending on eSports, September 2020
- Promising future for esports businesses
- Figure 42: Spending on esports, esports tournament related, September 2020
- Watchers spending more on keyboards
- Figure 43: Spending on esports, keyboards, by type of consumers, September 2020
- Computing products the highest category spent for esports consumers
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eSports as a Professionalised Sport
- Consumer preferences towards faster pace sports
- Figure 44: Traditional sports watched in the last 12 months, September 2020
- eSports can compete with traditional sports because of COVID-19
- Figure 45: traditional sports tournaments versus esports tournaments, by key demographics, September 2020
- eSports as a means of leisure activity in tier two cities
- Figure 46: Sports tournaments versus esports tournaments, by city tier, September 2020
- Competitive sports most popular amongst parents
- Figure 47: Sports tournaments versus esports tournaments, by marital status, September 2020
- Consumer preferences towards faster pace sports
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Meet the Mintropolitans
- Professionalism more recognised by Mintropolitans
- Figure 48: Emotions attached towards esports, professional, by consumer classification, September 2020
- Mintropolitans spend the most on gaming monitors
- Figure 49: Spending on esports related products, gaming monitors RMB3,001 and above, by consumer classification, September 2020
- Platform subscription upgrade
- Figure 50: Spending on esports live streaming/short video platform subscription services, have not spent, by consumer classification, September 2020
- Professionalism more recognised by Mintropolitans
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
- Methodology
About the report
This market report provides in-depth analysis and insight supported by a range of data. At the same time, introductory and top-level content is provided to give you an overview of the issues covered.
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