Nielsen opened the Nielsen Esports Playbook for Brands, a guide for brands exploring sponsorship or advertising, reporting a 13% growth in the share of non-gaming related (restaurants, automobiles, financial services, insurance, etc.) brand sponsorship involvement year-over-year. “Some of the most common esports questions we get asked at Nielsen relate to brand involvement – how to get involved, where opportunities exist, how much to pay for a sponsorship deal, and ultimately how to measure the return on esports investment,” said Nicole Pike, Managing Director, Nielsen Esports. “Based on input from our trusted Nielsen Esports Advisory Board members, we focused our latest Playbook specifically on educating brands about the esports space, putting together a snapshot of the ecosystem and an informed view on how brands are successfully interacting with various rights holders and fans.” A free copy the Nielsen Esports Playbook for Brands is available for download at nielsen.com.

Among the key data points included in the report:

61% of sponsorship value driven by gaming related brand categories (computers, gaming chairs, peripherals, etc.) in 2018
39% share of voice by non-gaming related sponsors in esports in 2018
60% of esports fans globally engage with gaming personalities on a weekly basis
90% of U.S. esports fans on Twitch can name at least one non-gaming related sponsor in esports.
70% of U.S. esports fans on Twitch spend more time interacting with esports versus traditional sports
664+ million total hours viewed of the top 10 streamers on Twitch from March 2018 – February 2019, according to SuperData Arena.

“The opportunities for brands to engage with young audiences through traditional channels are shrinking while digital entertainment choices for consumers are growing faster and at a larger scale that at any point in our history,” said Mike Sepso, co-founder of Major League Gaming and Chairman, Electronic Sports Group. “Esports is a convergence of the authenticity and fandom of traditional sports with the global reach and engagement of gaming. Major blue chip brands are now transitioning traditional budgets to esports and proactively helping to shape the future, brands that are not jumping in now are relegated to reacting and missing out on opportunities.”