A report published by Interpret and the Consumer Technology Association claims that the global audience for esports will hit 519 million people by 2024. The CTA put last year’s worldwide esports viewership – that is those who watch esports tournaments on TV or via livestreaming – at 300m. The US and Europe look set to show the largest growth over the 2020-2024 span, with US viewership up 129% to 48m while France, Germany and the UK collectively are expected to see esports viewers rise 78% to 32m. The group also found that esports fans, defined as those who attend live events or compete in tournaments, will grow even more significantly, more than doubling from 121m last year to 266m in 2024.
“The rise of esports as a new form of media is here for the long-term,” said CTA Research Analyst Steven Hummel. “The pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place orders gave people time to explore new forms of entertainment, opening the door to a whole new audience for esports. That audience appears poised to stay, driving industry to the next level.”
