The e-sport market - Italy (2023)

1.1 Definition and presentation

E-sport (electronic sport) characterizes the internet-based practice of a video game alone or in teams via a computer or video game console (especially Playstation and Xbox). E-sports appeared in the 1980s, but the industry has now become more professional, with major tournaments organized and recognized worldwide, such as the Esports World Convention (ESWC), Major Language Gaming (MLG), or the Cyberathlete Professional League. The value creation system is based on various sources of revenue: advertising revenue, post-transmission revenue, sponsorship revenue, and so on. The e-sports market can be segmented according to these revenue sources or according to regional perspectives.

The size of the Esports market has been estimated at $1.39 billion in 2022. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.7% over the forecast period (2022-2030).

In Italy, e-sports fans number about 6 million, and they connect with each other using specific social networks, especially Facebook to share opinions, and Twitch to join the rest of the online community. The Italian e-sports audience is composed mainly of males (62%), with a medium to high level of education, mostly between 21 and 30 years old (44%), but with a fair incidence also between 31 and 40 years old (38%). Among the most popular games, topping the list in Italy is Fifa, which is the most played and well-known. It is followed closely by Call of Duty and Formula 1, Fortnite and Pokemon.

Focus on the Italian market, audience growth and engagement activities, investment in league tournament infrastructure, and increased live streaming of games are considered the main drivers of growth. The professionalization of the industry has created lucrative opportunities for game developers, gamers, influencers, and event organizers. For these reasons, millennials are considering e-sports as a professional career because of the rise in popularity of game tournaments.