Sports
ESports Makes a Deal With Nielsen to Measure Audience

(Bloomberg) — The esports industry, notorious for its lack of reliable streaming viewer figures, is trying to get its act together and provide third-party ratings to make its broadcasts attractive for rights buyers and advertisers.
Companies like Tencent Holdings’s Riot Games and World of Warcraft’s developer Blizzard have introduced new viewing metrics, and Sweden’s Modern Times Group on Thursday said it has enlisted Nielsen to provide data on how many people are actually watching their ESL and Dreamhack events.
Read: Inside the ‘World Cup of E-sports’
Competitive gaming has grown immensely in popularity over the last decade: Hundreds of thousands watched via the internet when 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf took home $3 million by winning the Fortnite World Cup final in New York in July — in addition to the sold-out audience of more than 20,000 spectating in person at New York City’s Arthur Ashe Stadium. Still, the actual number of people who watch such competitions, or ESL’s Pro League tournaments, is partly shrouded in mystery.
Read: Peak Video Game? Top Analyst Sees Industry Slumping in 2019
An investigation by gaming site Kotaku examined reports that large esports events, such as the League of Legends World Championship, attract a lot more viewers than traditional sports highlights like the Super Bowl. Kotaku found these claims are based on unverifiable and possibly inflated numbers, showed how numbers could be boosted by adding “junk” views from people who visit websites where embedded tournament streams play briefly.
MTG, owner of ESL, which says on its website it’s the world’s largest esports company, will launch what it calls the world’s largest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league next year. Its ESL Pro Tour will be synchronized with Dreamhack, which organizes huge gaming events across the world. Coordinating events can make the calendar more predictable for advertisers and media rights buyers. MTG said that the agreement with Nielsen will include analysis of the tour.
-
News1 month ago
Offer Price, Overview, Investors: Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Asyad Shipping’s Mega IPO
-
OER Magazines1 month ago
OER, February 25
-
Automotive2 months ago
[REVIEW] A Legend Reinvented: The Nissan Patrol Y63 Blends Heritage with Modern Mastery
-
Alamaliktistaad Magazines1 month ago
Al-iktisaad, February 2025
-
Energy1 month ago
Dubai Supreme Council of Energy Unveils 5th Emirates Energy Award 2023–2025 in Muscat
-
News2 months ago
Oil Prices Rise as Investors Assess New US Tariff Threats
-
News2 months ago
Middle East Emerging as a Key Destination for Sports Tourism
-
Banking & Finance1 month ago
Alizz Islamic Bank Partners with Visa to Launch Premium Shari’a-Compliant Card Solutions