150 million video game fans living in China are attracted to the country by major esports projects. The total revenue of the local e-sport sector is approaching $200 million per year

On 25th of August one of the main tournaments of the eSports calendar — The International 2019 - was ended. The 16 best Dota 2 teams in The world fought for a record $33 million in eSports prize money at the 18,000-seat Mercedes-Benz arena in Shanghai. The venue was chosen by the organizers for a reason. Esports in China is gaining popularity at a furious pace. At the end of the winter of 2019, the analytical Agency NewZoo counted almost 150 million people in the country who at least periodically follow esports. This is almost 38% of its global audience, or 16.5% of Chinese citizens who have Internet access. For comparison: in 2019, the main American sports event - The Super Bowl — was watched by just over 114 million people. The numbers are higher only for the UEFA Champions League finals: in June 2019, the broadcast of the match between Tottenham and Liverpool was watched by 380 million people around the world.

For investors and brands, audience is one of the most important promises of success in both sports and show business. 30 million movie views on Netflix in 3 days is a guarantee of the site's prospects. Video streaming revenue growth of 38% for the year? Also a strong sign. According to NewZoo, Chinese eSports with 19% of the global market in terms of revenue is in second place after North America (with 37%). Over the past two years, China has "squeezed" an additional 4% of total revenue in eSports and by the end of this year, it will earn more than $200 million out of $1.1 billion. For comparison, according to Deloitte data for 2017, the revenue of FIFA, UEFA and national European football associations combined was $2.4 billion.

NewZoo estimates that brand investments in global eSports account for almost 82% of total revenue in the industry: over the last 3 years, they have tripled, and the growth trend will continue in the near future.

Esports five-year plan

Chinese eSports is on the rise. Thus, five of the 10 most decorated eSports teams in the world (Newbee, Vici, LGD, Invictus Gaming and Wings Gaming) are from China. Over the course of their existence (an average of 10-15 years), they earned $13.2 million, $10.9 million, $10.7 million, $10.6 million, and $9.7 million in prize money, respectively. Of the top 50 players by revenue, 14 are Chinese ($1.4-2.3 million per career). Representatives of China in the ranking are almost three times more than Americans (there are 5 of them); Russia and Finland are represented by 3 players.

In addition, e-sports in China can boast of serious support from the state. The professions of "esportsman" and "esports Manager" are officially recognized, and the Ministry of labor and social security of the PRC recently published a report according to which less than 15% of jobs are filled in the sector, which means a high demand for employees in eSports in the coming years.