Road to FIFA eWorld Cup 2019 marked by 61 million broadcast views to date
June 28 – With the FIFA eWorld Cup now in full flow Electronic Arts and FIFA have released figures showing a huge mark-up in viewership for the early rounds.
esports
Europeans battle to keep inaugural eChampions League trophy at home
May 29 – There is one Champions League trophy that won’t be going to England this weekend, in fact it might not even remain in Europe.
Doping: Does existing sports law have a role in the fast-growing esports environment?
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – To what extent does doping infiltrate esports, a craze that has enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years with prize pools of several million dollars and FIFA even organising their own eWorld Cup?
Fox Sports secures FIFA’s efootball events to drive new Caffeine streaming platform
April 15 – FIFA, whose new sponsorship revenues look as though they are stuck in a China-located trough, is nevertheless finding new revenue streams in efootball and has licensed the broadcast rights to stream the FIFA eWorld Cup and FIFA 19 Global Series events in the US to Fox Sports.
FIFA unveil 20-teams and London host venue for inaugural eNations Cup
March 18 – FIFA has announced team and hosting details of its first eNations Cup, the third competition leg in its esports roster that will see 20 national teams compete in London April 13-14.
J.League enters esports with 40 clubs to compete on Konami’s PES platform
March 4 – Japan’s J.League is the latest big league to announce it is entering the competitive esports arena with it clubs lined up to play in tournament on Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) game. Other leagues have generally opted for the EA Sports FIFA 19 platform.
FIFA gets its Nations Cup…but in esports
February 27 – FIFA is expanding its presence in the fast growing esports football business with the launch of a new national team competition – the eNations Cup.
Poland’s Ekstraklasa joins the rush to esports with 16-club league launch
February 27 – Poland’s Ekstraklasa has confirmed it will be added to the FIFA Global Series with all 16 of the top tier teams competing.
Esports betting to hit $12.9bn in 2019, revenues to reach $1.38bn in 2021
February 19 – Betting on esports is estimated to grow to a massive $12.9 billion by the end of this year. That is more than double the figure of $5.5 billion in 2016 and puts the esports business firmly in competition with other forms of online betting.
PSG expands esports teams in Asia with Indonesia-based ‘Mobile Legends’ squad
February 12 – Paris Saint-Germain is expanding its eSports footprint in south-east Asia with the launch of a team to play on the ‘Mobile Legends’ game platform.
Top esports players earn more than pro golfers, finds report
January 25 – The rise and rise of esports has been accompanied by a ballooning in esports player salaries. With football clubs increasingly looking to associate with competitive gamers the cost of entry is going up’
FC Köln buys into SK Gaming esports team alongside Mercedes-Benz
January 18 – Germany’s FC Köln has bought into esports team SK Gaming alongside sponsor Mercedes-Benz. No value was given for the investment.
eSports top games pay out over £130m in prize money. FIFA isn’t one of them
December 28 – The boom in football leagues, federations and clubs entering the esports market is only scratching the surface of the potential of the business if you look at the volumes of prize money paid out in eSports competitions over 2018.
eFootball: DFL agrees TV deal with ProSiebenSat.1 for VBL Club Championship
December 20 –Germany’s DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga has agreed a broadcast deal with the ProSiebenSat.1 Group to air the federation’s new launch eFootball VBL Club Championship.
Adidas move into Chinese esports market with Lyon EDG sponsorship
December 11 – Adidas have signed their first eFootball sponsorship deal focussed on the Chinese market with Olympique Lyonnais backed Lyon EDG for their FIFA Online 4 team.