Esports: How to generate a sustainable business model

In the context of the first Esports Talks AMC Networks International – Latin America: Introduction to the World of Esports webinar, Iris Córdoba, General Director of Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC) powered by Microsoft, the huge challenge of esports is how to monetize and give profitability to sponsoring brands. Another is how to use tech solutions and apps to connect and interact even more with fans.

Today, the esports ecosystem, according to Córdoba, is made up mainly of publishers; players, championship organizers, viewers, and the sponsor who nowadays finances 75% of the business and enabled professionalization with the emergence of leagues, great tournaments, and players with big contracts. There are even academies and university dorms for esports players.

“This is very positive because it generates employment and income. The challenge is how to generate a sustainable business model,” she said.

Brands challenge, according to Córdoba, is adapting to audiences and their consumption mechanisms, and that is why they are constantly testing new things.

“You cannot copy what traditional sports do, and that is why it is necessary to talk to viewers and players and align the brands´ expectations with what truly happens in esports,” she added.

Regarding expectations for 2021, she commented that sponsors are more cautious due to the consequences of the pandemic and that is why no one knows what will happen with those investments.

First Esports Talks webinar