Nielsen Report: Less Than 40% of Esports Fans Watch TV

According to a new report from Nielsen, less than 40% of Twitch's esports audience watch television during a typical week. Additionally,  only half of the esports audience are said to own a paid TV subscription service. 70% of Twitch's esports fans spend more time watching esports than traditional sports.

Nielsen focused their study on Twitch viewers who have watched streams for popular esports such as Overwatch and League of Legends.

It was announced yesterday that Netflix would be airing a League of Legends special on their new documentary 7 Days Out. With the new data of fewer esports fans watching TV, we should see additional esports content on popular streaming platforms.

Nielsen also reports that more than 60% of Twitch users have watched esports for more than 4 years. The report also says that 20%  the United States general public has been following esports for at least 4 years.

Nielsen's esports data was collected by surveying 50,000 Twitch users in the United States.

Nicole Pike, Nielsen Esports’ Managing Editor says: “As we continue to support our esports clients, a common theme has been their need for an even more detailed view of the esports audience to support data-driven business decisions. At Nielsen, we know the power of viewership and how it can enrich an already valuable data set like our Fan Insights work. Given Twitch’s depth of content and reach across esports properties, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them since this marks a natural evolution for our annual research.”

Andrea Garabedian, Twitch's VP of Advertiser Marketing says: “Twitch caters to the many interests of gamers with esports among the more popular types of entertainment we offer. By providing Nielsen with an opportunity to survey our community, they were able to surface data that reflects the passionate nature of our esports fans. Based on the amount of time these gamers spend on our service and their familiarity with the scene, from the games to the sponsors, it is clear that Twitch represents an ideal destination for brands trying to connect with this audience.”

Source: Variety.com