The pandemic has significantly increased the consumption of digital content and among them the world of eSports seems to be one of the areas where this increase has been felt the most: also due to the impossibility of organizing events in person, there have been many occasions in which during 2020 the sector managed to pierce its bubble, involving sports personality and more or less known actors and characters.
The result was also felt in Italy, at least according to the new eSports report shared by Iidea, which shows an increase in the public both in the most avid fans and among people generically interested in the world of competitive video games. A world that proves to be particularly attractive too from the point of view of advertising, an element on which the presentation insisted a lot, obviously considering the need for the involvement of advertisers, fundamental for the development of the movement.
THE CHARACTER
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A growing audience
According to the research, every day in Italy about 470 thousand people follow an export event, a figure in growth of 33% compared to the previous year. If, on the other hand, we also consider the people who follow export events a few times a week, the pool expands to over 1.6 million, or 15% more than last year. These are comforting numbers, but which obviously must grow even more in order to allow a qualitative leap.
In this broader basin, in 65% of cases we are talking about men, generally between 21 and 40 years old, with a higher than average level of education and income and located in the southern regions or islands (35%); in the small pool of hardcore fans, the consumption of hours dedicated to esports is about 6.5 per week, a figure that is close to that dedicated to television or streaming, which, together with music, remains the main interest.
Ma why do you like esports? For many, the most important aspect is obviously entertainment, spending time with friends and sharing an interest, exchanging views and attending a community, but for some it is also important as learning English or as an exercise in solving problems. Surprisingly, many also cite inclusivity, despite the many controversies surrounding bullying and aggression towards minorities that often characterize the controversy in the sector.
The most followed games
Those who love esports tend to follow 3 main trends: i battle royale, then Fortnite e Warzone, i Moba come League of Legends, the Fps and the sports titles, then Fifa e Pes. Analyzing the 10 thousand accounts on Twitch in Italy dedicated to esports, the titles that emerge are precisely Fortnite e League of Legends, followed by Apex Legends. On the front instead of competitive events, League of Legends remains central, since it covers 7 of the top 10 positions, while they share the rest Rainbow Six e Apex Legends.
Twitch e YouTube are the preferred platforms for enjoying esports-related content, the first for live events or for comments, the second for delayed videos, analyzes, reports and everything that can be viewed calmly. Regarding Twitch, the first 10 thousand Italian accounts produced 133 million hours viewed with a broadcast of approximately 3 million hours, compared to a worldwide figure of 14.
Ma how have esports lovers’ habits changed during the pandemic? As for the most avid, 48% increased the hours in front of the computer, 45% those dedicated to TV or streaming services and even to social media. Overall, 40% of the analyzed sample stated that the lockdown affected the time spent playing and watching esports. The most used devices for watching esports during the lockdown were in order PlayStation 4, smartphones and computers (38%).
laboratory
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In pursuit of football
An important aspect of exports to Italy is that today its growth is such as to make it the leading sector for entertainment at European level, with a growth of around 15%. This data has a double meaning:
- demonstrates a shift in consumption habits an audience less interested in classic forms of entertainment, such as football;
- shows how big the gap to be bridged with other nations who have a decidedly more mature play culture, such as Germany, England and Poland.
To consolidate and expand this data, Iidea is planning many new features for the second edition of Round One, the Italian event dedicated to the business side of exports to be held in Turin on 5 and 6 October 2021. The idea of Marco Saletta, president of the association and general manager of Sony Italy, is to “create an inclusive hub, a real accelerator that supports the competitive gaming industry with targeted investments, helping potential sponsors to know better this world “. In the coming months, therefore, in-depth seminars will be activated, “speed dates” for companies and a series of initiatives with which to bring together the various players in the sector. All this will obviously culminate in the ceremony of the Italian Sports Award, where the teams, players and all the most important figures of this world will be crowned.
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