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Lumping esports in the gaming arena is like grouping drugs in the pharmaceutical market because although it was once confined to the times, it has grown to become an international industry with millions of TV viewers and participants. Thus, the connection between esports and traditional broadcasting is increasingly important as the popularity of esports grows. The integration of these two worlds poses a new dimension for viewing and the general growth of competitive gaming.
Previously, esports was watched exclusively through Internet streaming such as Twitch and YouTube, and seen only by viewers interested in gaming. But as the sector has developed, incumbent broadcasters have woken up to the trend. With sports like Dota 2 and Call of Duty championships, several big networks, including ESPN, BBC, and TBS have started broadcasting esports tournaments. Such transition to the general spectators helped esports to gain recognition as a professional and serious event by the majority of the viewers.
Conventional media broadcasting has considerably contributed to increasing the array of spectators of esports, which initially were gamers. Escorting esports events on television exposes the broadcast audiences to excitement occasioned by gaming events but who may have had no prior concern with gaming. This has resulted in improvements in viewership, sponsorship, and most importantly the wider society’s acceptance of Esports as a real sport.
Consequently, new opportunities that the collaboration between esports and conventional broadcasting introduced many benefits, although it has drawbacks as well. Linear broadcasters, on the other hand, have had most of them used to sports with set rules and format of coverage, which is completely different from Esports events. Also, it must be noted that the audience of esports is much younger and the majority of them are tech-savvy and may prefer watching online streams rather than TV broadcasting. It is a big task for the broadcasters to meet the requirements of both camps.
The incorporation of esports with traditional broadcasting is expected to persist. So, as technology continues to improve and the base of esports fans increases, I believe I see more uniqueness in how esports content is produced. Informed by growing evidence that traditional media and new media are incorporating each other’s strengths into their operations, cross-breed media which combines the accessibility of traditional media and the interactivity of new media may be the new trend that answers viewer’s needs.
Thus, the interconnection between esports with traditional broadcasting broadens a new chapter in the development of the competitive gaming industry. Essentially, by making esports popular for more people, traditional broadcasters are contributing to the development of the exciting industry. As both worlds remain intertwined with each other, there are only a lot of opportunities, especially as it relates to broadcasting esports.