Esports Expected to Generate £1bn Revenue by 2020

Forecasters have predicted that Esports will generate £1bn in revenue and almost double its global audience to 600m by 2020.

Esports is competitive computer gaming, which can be staged in front of a live audience and streamed online.

Esports generated £400m in revenue in 2016, with a global audience of about 320 million people.

Prize money of £76m was won last year, with the winning team at the League of Legends world championship – the biggest esports event – sharing a pot of over £800,000.

Income to the sport is expected to treble within four years, with many of the world’s biggest sports teams already making inroads into the sport.

Next steps for the sport are expected to comprise an all-encompassing ‘World Cup’ event, and increased professionalism of the sport.