United Kingdom (UK) Esports Market Overview, 2028

Esports is now known in many countries, thanks to the increasing reach of technology and the internet, with a growing UK scene in recent years. More than 1.2 million adults in the UK say they watch esports and other competitive gaming events, and esports contribute more than £111.5 million to the UK's GDP each year. The United Kingdom has a sizable esports fan base, with tens of millions of people either playing games or watching gaming events. On a global scale, the industry has a national body that regulates and promotes its esports teams and talents. Chester King founded this national body, known as the British Esports Association (now known as the British Esports Federation).The British Esports Federation recognises and appreciates this and is pioneering esports education to create pathways for young people interested in careers in esports and other closely related digital industries. They've also compiled a wealth of esports career advice. In April 2020, British Esports will collaborate with global education publisher Pearson to create the world's first esports BTEC qualification. Institutions in the UK and around the world will be able to offer these new qualifications to students beginning in September 2020, with funding confirmed from the Education and Skills Funding Agency in the UK. British Esports announced an exclusive higher education (HE) university-level partnership with the College of Esports in December 2021. British Esports assisted in the development of the degree and provided guidance to the College of Esports, delivering unique industry expertise as well as enriching the learning materials for the degree content to ensure relevance to the student and sector as a whole. According to the research report "United Kingdom eSports Market Overview, 2028," published by Bonafide Research, the market is expected to add USD 67.23 million by 2028.Streaming is expected to dominate the segment share during the forecast period. The growing emphasis on fan engagement is likely to fuel demand for live sports events. Furthermore, the rise in smart phone users is expected to fuel demand for live sports tournaments. Media rights are making a significant contribution to the country's esports industry. Fans can now track live esports activity across the country thanks to easy access to communication technology. Media companies pay exorbitant fees to win the exclusive rights to broadcast live streaming of major sporting events. In recent years, the sale of broadcasting and media rights has been the most important source of revenue for most esports organizers. The revenue generated by the sale of media rights is used to fund major sporting events, renovate stadiums, and contribute to the grassroots development of esports. During the forecast period, sponsorship is expected to grow rapidly, followed by advertising. As the number of viewers grows, the sponsoring team invests in the platform to strengthen its brand image. Similarly, various gaming platforms include in-app advertisements to boost revenue generation.

The United Kingdom is home to some of the most powerful esports organizations. Faceit, which hosted a CS:GO World Championship in 2018 as well as dozens of major events across multiple esports titles, is one of the tournament hosts and organisers. Fnatic, a leading esports team based in the United Kingdom, represents top squads in the majority of major esports titles and has held multiple World Championship trophies. The country is also represented in the international franchised leagues of Call of Duty and Overwatch, and it hosts a number of major industry events and showcases. In the United Kingdom, esports is currently classified as a game rather than a sport; however, this does not preclude proper organisation and structure, as in traditional sports. Currently, esports in the United Kingdom are divided into leagues and regular tournaments. ESL's National Championship and the United Kingdom Esports League are the two most important structured leagues. Meanwhile, a number of tournaments, such as Epic.LAN, Insomnia, and the London Games Festival, take place each year. In the United Kingdom, there is no single major league for esports, and teams typically compete in multiple leagues and tournaments each year. The focus of esports is more global, and national leagues and events are generally viewed as stepping stones to high-level international competition. Numerous factors, such as increased video game awareness and the popularity of Esports, are driving the country's growth in the Esports market. Long-term investment initiatives by large corporations, as well as an increase in the number of tournaments with large prize pools, create rewarding opportunities in the market during the forecast period. The growing use of smart phones in the world's developing economies is due to a variety of factors, including an increase in per capita income, affordability, multiple low-cost options with significant features, and many others. As the demand for esports events increases, it will create lucrative opportunities for the esports industry. As the esports business is still in its early stages, both organisations and players confront a number of challenges. Many tournament participants and gamers have difficulty determining the legitimacy of tournaments. With the increasing number of tournaments comes an increase in the number of scams and fraudsters, posing challenges for genuine and legitimate esports tournament organizers. The lack of standardisation in the esports industry reflects the ongoing difficulties that players, tournaments, teams, and their advertising, sponsorships, or contracts face.

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Manmayi Raval

Research Consultant

Considered in this report • Geography: United Kingdom • Historic year: 2017 • Base year: 2022 • Estimated year: 2023 • Forecast year: 2028 Aspects covered in this report • United Kingdom esport market with its value and forecast along with its segments • Various drivers and challenges • On-going trends and developments • Top profiled companies • Strategic recommendation By Revenue Streams: • Sponsorship • Media Rights • Merchandise & Tickets • Publisher Fees • Digital • Streaming

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By Device Type: • Mobile (Smartphone, Tablet) • PC (Laptop, Desktop) • Gaming Device (Console, Handheld Devices) • Other (VR, Smart TV, etc.) The approach of the report: This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and list out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, and annual reports of companies, analyzing the government-generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducting trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers into regional aspects, tier aspects, age groups, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources. Intended audience This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the esport industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.