Esports is the Model for the Future. The frequency and scale of esports competitions are gaining on traditional sporting events. The International 2017, a Dota 2 competitive gaming event, drew an audience of five million concurrent viewers and had a total purse of $24.6 million, including a $10.8 million prize for the winning team (Team Liquid of Utrecht, Netherlands). Another example, in 2017, the Intel Extreme Masters event, held in Katowice, Poland, drew a record 173,000 fans to the multipurpose Spodek Arena. In addition to the fans that attended the event and accompanying festival, another 46 million unique viewers watched online from around the world. In addition to ticket and concession sales, this creates a huge opportunity for subscription revenue from OTT broadcasting, which is described in more detail in the Broadcast section.

Esports competitions are more than event, they are a multi-day festival that’s built on a full-on social experience. There is a real opportunity for more social spaces, where fans can freely migrate to different zones throughout the venue, gather with like-fans and friends, and just watch the competition from a standing position. Most eSports fans are young and affluent and have very different consumer spending patterns than generations before them. Energy drinks replace alcohol and typical stadium victuals—burgers, dogs, brats, pizza, pretzels—are swapped for healthier, localized options. The concourse is no longer just a connection point between fans’ seats and food and drink options—it becomes a crucial link to the gaming action and a hub where fans and friends can meet and socialize.