According to figures presented by SafeBettingSites.com, the number of new sponsorships in esports increased by more than 26% in 2021.
This is a good sign for the industry which mainly depends on sponsorship revenue.
According to data made available by data firm Nielsen, 2,254 new sponsorships were publicly announced in the esports industry in 2021. This increase was a welcome change in the sector following a decline in sponsorships in 2020. due to the pandemic.
In 2020, 1,785 new sponsorships were announced – bucking the trend of previous years. In previous years, the number of sponsorships had steadily increased. However, the movement erupted in 2020, mainly due to the pandemic.
According to the data, the esports industry saw a massive increase in publicly announced sponsorships in 2019. From 2016 to 2018, the number of new sponsorships only increased by 67.6%. However, the number of new referrals increased by 140% between 2018 and 2019.
At this point, the pandemic has put a stop to public tournaments in most parts of the world. The number of new listings dropped by 4% in 2020. Compared to the number in 2019, the number of referrals in 2021 represents a nice increase of 21%.
The report further states that the esports fan base has grown significantly over the past couple of years. According to the Nielsen survey, 50% of esports fans worldwide started following the industry in the past two years.
Additionally, new fans come from all demographics. The numbers in 2021 represent a 19% increase in the female fan base and a 12% increase in the male fan base from the previous year. In addition, there is an identical increase of 14% in the 18-25 and 25-40 age groups. These are very positive signs for an industry that was limited to certain age groups and genders.
Vyom Chaudhary, Editor of Safe Betting Sites, said: “The esports industry has recovered from the pandemic and it is moving in the right direction. Referrals make up the majority of money in the industry, so it’s a good sign that new referrals have increased significantly. Plus, it’s a great sign that 50% of current eSports fans have started following the industry in the past two years.”
You can read the full report with statistics and additional information here.
