
By Will Waters, VP customer success, NewTek
Author:
ContributorPublish date:
Jan 3, 2019
In a very short space of time, esports has become arguably the second truly global sport after football. It is growing at an unprecedented rate - in 2017, the global esports market was valued at $700 million, and is forecast to increase to over $2 billion by 2023. Broadcast vendors are paying close attention because this is an area where there are viewers, particularly a young demographic that is increasingly difficult for traditional broadcasters to reach. And while revenues for esports events up till now have largely come from areas like sponsorship, advertising, ticket sales and merchandising, the fastest growing source of revenue is now media rights.
There are many things about esports that are similar to conventional sports. There is competition, there are rules, there is drama created by rivalry, plus tension and release between players as they interact with the game, announcers that narrate the gameplay and commentators that analyse the player's choices. These are the elements that content directors use to create narratives that capture the viewers' imagination and make them eager for more.
However, there are unique production challenges that come with an esports event that are typically not a part of a traditional sports broadcast. In contrast to a field or court sport, where group activity means a few cameras can capture all the action, esports competitions require coverage of each individual player at all times so many additional cameras are involved in the production, including PoV cameras.
In addition, the requirement for high-quality content is much more extreme in esports, since viewers often play the same game at home and are used to seeing it as an uncompressed version. Producers also need to be able to switch live between real-world players and the actual game on a computer screen, moving between different and often non-broadcast standard resolutions and frame-rates without a break in coverage or an obvious switch in quality.
Most esports events are streamed and streaming of gaming in general has standardised on 1080/60p. It would be a mistake to think that the quality of the production is any less important because the content is streamed. That said, while higher resolutions and frame rates are nice, it is better to have a stable stream than to drop frames or start buffering, resulting in the dreaded lag . Viewers are quick to point out technical difficulties in the production and will move on when presented with a poor experience.
With software-driven processing and IP-based production, solutions like NewTek's VMC1 live production system and the NDI protocol are allowing esports producers to move from makeshift studio set-ups to professional broadcast equipment for every stage of production, while reducing the complexity and cost of mixing gaming PCs and consoles with professional video gear and meeting consumers' demands for high quality.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Pronology, a developer of cutting-edge broadcast workflow solutions, showcases the newest capabilities for its StreamFile Core platform at the 2026 IBC Show (S...
01/09/2026
PROTON Unveils Next-Generation FLEXY Camera at IBC 2026
Brie Clayton September 1, 2026
0 Comments
10-metre serialised coax unlocks new perspectives an...
01/09/2026
Hulu Drama The Season Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton September 1, 2026
0 Comments
Senior Colorist Mark Kueper of Picture Shop crafts ...
01/09/2026
Pluxbox Launches CoreOC to Transform Mission-Critical Media Operations
Brie Clayton September 1, 2026
0 Comments
A vendor-agnostic operational control l...
01/09/2026
Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media workflow platform Streamcake, today announced the appointment of Jon Marquard as Director and Chairperson. T...
01/09/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will unveil the next generation of its Actus X platform at IBC2026 on LiveUs Stand 7.C24, demonstrating how broadcasters can sim...
01/09/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, delivered transformational technology a...
01/09/2026
Quortex, the intelligent video technology company carved out from Synamedia by Lumine Group, today announced that Odisha Television Network (OTV), the leading r...
01/09/2026
Zixi and Ateme today announced an expanded strategic partnership to help broadcasters and content owners accelerate the transition from satellite to resilient I...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Join Donal Skehan in discovering the best of everyday Italian cooking in brand new series, airing Wednesday 2 September
In this brand-new series, Donal's I...
01/09/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to spotlight a diverse range of arts, cultu...
31/08/2026
Pixotope Technologies has announced a unified platform offering all Pixotope capabilities across three editions, available with the Pixotope 26.3 release in Q3 ...
31/08/2026
Sampler gains Overbridge multitrack streaming
Elektron's polyphonic sampler, the Tonverk, has just received an OS update that introduces multitrack stre...
31/08/2026
Popular chorus plug-in gains second engine
UVI's latest plug-in offers a fresh new take on their best-selling chorus effect, combining a pair of engines...
31/08/2026
Optus commits 3% of consumer brand spend to First Nations media in new landmark ...
31/08/2026
FingerWorks Telestrators, the industry leader in software-based telestration and live sports analysis solutions, announces its new partnership with Broadcast R...
31/08/2026
ARISDA Bridge Launches: DaVinci Resolve Timecode, Studio Clock, and Work-Time Tr...
31/08/2026
Short Film All That's Left Shot with URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 31, 2026
0 Comments
Intimate drama edited and graded in DaVinci Resolve ...
31/08/2026
Bridge Technologies Announces Support for Blackmagic IP10 Codec
Brie Clayton August 31, 2026
0 Comments
Both booths will showcase each other's tec...
31/08/2026
Creative COW Roundtable, August 23, 2026- AEAI
Brie Clayton August 31, 2026
0 Comments
COWs from around the world assemble to discuss Using AI to Beat...
31/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Susan Tedeschi The Grammy-winning singer and guitarist talks about finding her voice at Berklee ahead of her Homecoming performan...
31/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/08/2026
August 31st, 2026 Press Materials Here
TRIBECA STUDIOS RELEASES FIRST-LOOK TRA...
31/08/2026
Digicel Pacific Selects Techtel for PNG Digital TV Head-End Transformation
31 Aug Written By Mal Chandler
Sydney, 31 August 2026 - Techtel has been appointe...
30/08/2026
Free collection includes 15 instruments
Reason Studios have announced that they are making their popular Reason Rack plug-in free, and bundling it with a se...
29/08/2026
Odyssey & Oracle console software update incoming
With a second console now joining their O-Series, SSL have announced the upcoming launch of O-Series V2.0,...
29/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/08/2026
PlayBox Technology is heading to IBC2026 with a clear message: the future of broadcast and streaming is not about replacing everything it is about making what...
29/08/2026
Berklee Announces Fall 2026 Signature Series This years concerts feature MonoNeon, Brandon Woody, Marcus Gilmore, and Caroline Davis, alongside Berklee Asia R...
28/08/2026
KCBS takes the Chargers side, KCAL takes the Rams - with feeds out to 18 partner...
28/08/2026
(L-R) Topher Grace, Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Casper Kelly, and Keegan-Michael Key pose with the character Buddy at the Buddy Premiere during the 2026 S...
28/08/2026
The Italian orchestra, reimagined
IK Multimedia have announced the upcoming launch of Sinphonica, a new family of Italian orchestral instruments designed f...
28/08/2026
Voice-isolation plug-in boasts sub-10ms latency
Launched in 2025, CEDAR Audio's Icons range was created with the aim of bringing the company's renow...
28/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...