What Esports Viewers Say About Sponsorships

Insights and attitudes of Overwatch League fans

The concept of “authenticity” has been used by brands for years to woo advertisers and reassure viewers/consumers/fans. And while we’ve been led to believe that viewers are quite skeptical about advertising and sponsorships, we’ve found that the opposite is true when it comes to esports.

In fact, esports viewers are not only open to sponsors, but they’re actively looking for brands that support their passion for competitive gaming.

Working with Simmons Research, we recently surveyed our viewers to get insights into their attitudes about the premiere season of Overwatch League, the first global pro league of its kind. The results upend some widely held notions about sponsorships.

In esports, viewers look for a brand that’s adding value and supporting the ecosystem of their favorite games, players and events. The passion of these fans is evident, but what might not be so obvious is that they wholeheartedly support brands that support them. In fact, a whopping 72 percent of respondents believe that sponsors are critical to the success of esports.

Here’s an example. As part of our partnership with Toyota, we created “Access Granted,” a sponsored behind-the-scenes series that featured interviews with various pros about the league, their teams and their experiences. All while driving a Toyota, of course. The series was met with an overwhelmingly favorable reaction from our viewers and interview subjects, and 61 percent of viewers said they are more likely to support a brand if they are a sponsor of the league and help create meaningful content.

Sponsors make a better viewing experience

We’ve also learned that while it is important to curate content and broadcasts to reach viewers on their platform of choice, it is equally important to utilize the tools and opportunities at our disposable to create the best quality broadcast. Six out of 10 respondents believe that sponsorships are helpful to the viewing experience, and 93 percent believe that the quality of the broadcast is the most important factor in watching esports.

72% of viewers say sponsors are critical to the success of esports

At Activision Blizzard, we’re also committed to delivering the best broadcasts and live event experiences in competitive gaming. Consider the mix of elite competition and live entertainment at our Overwatch Grand Finals at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. Sold out events like these with celebrities and influencers from the worlds of sports, music and entertainment have turned a niche hobby into one of the hottest VIP tickets in town.

The event and premium broadcast on ESPN—as well as our traditional distribution channels on OTT, web and mobile—provide opportunities for new partners and sponsors to reach diverse audiences and help create brand alignment that will resonate with their target customers.

Creating brand alignment between our leagues and sponsors that can be promoted within broadcasts, across social channels or by our players is the key to helping grow long-term relationships between brands and our viewers. Per the survey, 64 percent of viewers think more favorably of a brand that has a co-sponsorship of their preferred esport and 68 percent admit to being heavily influenced by ads that help support these leagues.

Our conclusion?

This isn’t revelatory information, but it’s a far cry from the early days of esports. It represents a maturation of the viewer-sponsor relationship that is continuing to trend upward.

As CRO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, Brandon Snow is responsible for the commercial operations of Activision’s and Blizzard Entertainment’s esports programs such as Overwatch League and Call of Duty World League. This includes sponsorship, media and content licensing, and consumer products for both esports leagues and game IP. Previously, he was SVP of team marketing & business operations for the NBA.