- Sony’s film business US$920MM write-down was tempered by strong PlayStation sales and their gaming unit’s US$431MM operating profit. That profit’s a 25% increase over last year.
- TBS had 228k prime-time viewers of their latest ELEAGUEmajor Counter-Strike tournament. More than 1MM people streamed the same tournament live on Twitch. Other fans were streaming it on Twitter. Cumulative tournament viewership numbers are still coming in –
#ELEAGUEMajor hits one million concurrent viewers as the largest single stream ever on Twitch, and the best CSGO finals to date. pic.twitter.com/9kXke3QXVG
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) January 29, 2017
Did you miss the #ELEAGUEmajor? Don't worry fam we got you with this recap presented by @GFuelEnergy #adhttps://t.co/vn4aInbSo6
— ELEAGUE (@ELEAGUETV) February 1, 2017
- Xbox Live monthly active users reach record 55M, up 15% from last year. Gaming revenue was $3.6 billion — nearly 14 percent of Microsoft’s total revenue for the quarter. PC revenues were down 5%
People playing games against each other is a growing market. People watching other people playing games against each other is a growing market.
Meanwhile. NFL’s viewership is down 8% for the 2016 season. The Pro Bowl has had a sixth consecutive year of shrinking audience. The Pro Bowl is promoted during every televised NFL game for several Sundays leading to it. Viewership still fell.
The NFL has significantly more marketing muscle than ELEAGUE. eSports is a far-more fragmented market than professional football in the United States. This trend is sustaining regardless.
