Competitive video games are taking the globe by storm — and there are 5 companies that could reap the benefits (ATVI, EA, MSFT, NVDA, SNE)

pulse

March 13, 2018 7:46 PM

The full-on monetization of esports by investors could lead to massive profits for some big name companies.

Esports represents a massive growth opportunity for companies, a Bernstein analyst said.
The sports category has a large fan base, which can number half a billion in a few years.
Companies stand to make lots of money for appealing to this large and growing market.

There is a massive growth opportunity in the realm of competitive video gaming, known as esports, and it could make some well-heeled tech companies even richer.

Esports has a large and engaged following that is under-monetized, Todd Juenger, a Bernstein analyst, said. He believes this could present an attractive revenue opportunity for companies and investors alike.

In the US alone, esports viewership already outnumbers NHL viewers, and its projected to surpass the number of MLB viewers by 2020, Juenger says. Globally, esports draws an active viewership of 143 million, and that number shoots up to 307 million if you count occasional viewers. Juenger expects that number to explode to 250 million active viewers and over half a billion occasional viewers by 2021.

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