Esports to generate $1.38B in 2022, Newzoo report estimates

Data analytics firm Newzoo has released the 2022 version of its Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report, offering insights into the competitive gaming industry.

The findings: The report states that esports "operations at the intersection of competitive gaming and game-related live streaming."

• Newzoo's report estimates total revenues of $1.384B in 2022, with it growing to $1.86B in 2025. China will generate almost a third of the total this year.
• Sponsorship is still the primary source of revenue for esports organizations, totalling $837.3M by the end of 2022. That's almost 60% of all revenue for the year.
• The report estimates other revenue streams will tally up in 2022 as follows: $207.8M for media rights, $130.7M for publisher fees, $107.9M for merchandise and tickets, and $53.9M for digital assets.
• In 2022, Newzoo estimates the annual revenue per esports enthusiast to be $3.69 in Asia Pacific, $10.93 in Europe, $15.59 in North America, and $2.10 in emerging regions like Latin America.
• The global esports audience is estimated to reach 532M people by end of 2022, with "esports enthusiasts" growing to 261.2M. The company estimates that the total esports audience, including both casual and enthusiastic viewers, to reach 640M by end of 2025.

Course correction: Estimations change every year, but how have the estimations changed over the years?

• In 2019, Newzoo's report estimated that esports would have a total audience of 454M people, total revenues of $1.096B, and media rights revenue of $251.3M.
• In 2020, Newzoo's report estimated that esports would have a total audience of 495M people, total revenues of $1.100B, and media rights revenue of $185.4M.
• In 2021, Newzoo's report estimated that esports would have a total audience of 474M people, total revenues of $1.084B, and media rights revenue of $192.6M.
• In 2022, Newzoo's report estimated that esports would have a total audience of 532M people, total revenues of $1.384B, and media rights revenue of $207.8M.