Panel Esports In Latin America NEXTV Sports LatAm
For Mário Sousa, Head of Sales and Marketing of Mediapro for the Americas, the importance of esports leagues lies in the fact that they allow connecting with a target that has few ways to reach. “It is not only the fan engagement and young audiences, but the component of winning a competition, that is what attracts followers and what will make the clubs continue to expand,” he said.
This is why traditional clubs like Barcelona have joined. “They come, not to play FIFA, but to compete in League of Legends,” added Sousa during the panel “Esports in Latin America: from virtual video games to serious business” at Dataxis’s NexTV Series Sports Latin America.
For Leo De Biase, founder and partner of BBL, video games are a perfect decision for those brands that are not endemic to esports, such as Heineken with which they did a development in Brazil, “because they can connect with young people.” He explained that brands are understanding that it is difficult for them to start from scratch in a space like esports. “They are transforming their traditional spots, they go to these leagues and companies to make an investment, sponsorship and create a content show, to have a real connection with their target.”
Ignacio Estanga, VP of Alliances for Latin America at Twitch, indicated that the relationship with traditional sports leagues has evolved a lot on the platform. “Nowadays it is not uncommon to see the NBA, Formula 1, on Twitch channels. Although many of these leagues are used to OTT and channels, on Twitch it is very different. It’s a bit complicated, but once they understand the difference, they look at how to increase their interaction and educate this audience a lot,” he said.
According to Jaime Boetsch, CEO of Nexoplay, esports, like traditional sports broadcasts, aim at professionalization – having previews, statistics, observers on the field that add color to the broadcast. “This, combined with the fact that it is a safe environment for brands, could tip the balance of digital advertising investment towards this sector.”
