How much are the sport in Italy? According to a Nielsen Sport report presented during Round One, the event dedicated to the sector market organized by IIDEA and Ninetynine about 30 million of direct impact and another 15 of related effects, for a total of 45 million euros. But be careful, when we talk about the economic impact we are not referring to the turnover generated by the sector but to the costs incurred and therefore to the wealth generated by exports for the people who work there and the various suppliers.
Of the 30 million related to the direct impact, i.e. that linked to real employment in the sector, 65% is absorbed by the export teams, in second place we find event organizers with 16%, then publishers with 4% and finally a number of esports-related companies such as hardware manufacturers, developers and all that goes with it. The great effort supported by the teams, and therefore by the companies that decide to sponsor, obviously concerns the salary of the players and the staff of coaches, the collaboration with influencers who help in marketing and so on. For the organization of events, on the other hand, there are commentators, referees and project managers among the most important items of expenditure.
As for the indirect impact, that is, all those expenses related to the export world but not directly to hiring staff, the 15 million are mainly an effort of publishers, followed by teams and organizers. We are talking about money used for marketing, for moving athletes, for equipment rental and so on.
The central point of this analysis does not concern only the turnover and the wealth that the sector generates within it, but also the difficulties it must endure to move forward. If on the one hand, esports have always been seen as a new entertainment medium with greater ability to involve users than more traditional media, with many sponsorship opportunities even for brands not strictly linked to the field of video games and some interesting opportunities for employment, on the other hand there are still many problems that are holding back its growth.
The first and most important obstacle according to the speakers at Round One is the lack of incentives and economic concessions that push the creation of events or companies ready to invest, the second problem concerns vertical skills. Many turn out to be experts to get on the bandwagon, but they are often not the right people for the job, both at the organization and team level. Finally, there is a technological problem related to the infrastructures, because you can also be an excellent player, but if the line goes and goes it is difficult to excel.
“The analysis of the contribution of the esports ecosystem to the Italian economy reveals, already in its first edition, not only the significant size reached by the sector, but above all the high productivity of its resources” – said Tommaso Mattei, Head of Consulting Europe, MENA & Mexico of Nielsen Sports & Entertainment – “Also considering the continuous growth of the fanbase, it is increasingly urgent to be able to define a common path together with the institutional and private sector components to overcome the technological and regulatory criticalities that they are holding back its further industrial and employment development ”.
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