NEW DELHI: The Mumbai-based Esports gamer Naman Mathur, a 25-year-old gamer known as Soul Mortal, is optimistic about the future of eSports in India. Mathur and his buddies had to explain what they did to family and friends when they first started their jobs five years ago. The situation has drastically changed in the last year or so.
Despite the fact that gaming has increased in popularity by leaps and bounds, it is still limited to a web-savvy, young demographic. However, with Nodwin Gaming and Star Sports teaming up to broadcast a huge eSports event, Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series, for the first time in India, the gaming industry is set to reach new heights.
“The inclusion of eSports in mainstream media is crucial because it creates a platform for the players to thrive,” Mathur said, adding that such initiatives will help reach out to new audiences and enhance earning potential for career gamers.
eSports competitions have previously been broadcast on internet sites such as SonyLIV, Hotstar, and YouTube. The BGMI Masters Series is a competition in which gamers compete for a prize pool of $1.5 million.
Last October, Nodwin partnered with PVR Cinemas to live stream eSports events in theatres throughout Gurugram, Hyderabad, Indore, and Mumbai, marking yet another first for India.
PVR’s chief of strategy, Kamal Gianchandani, had indicated at the time that the company wanted to make it an annual event to help it expand “along the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL)” “..
“Think of it as the Indian Premier League of e-Sports.” Consider theatres as locations for sporting events, similar to stadiums “Gianchandani had stated previously.
After the Asian Games committee’s decision to accept eSports as a medal event for the first time, multiplex chain INOX teamed with the eSports Federation of India (ESFI) in February to livestream Road to Asian Games, an event held to determine the squad representing India at the Asian Games.
To be sure, eSports in India has a long way to go, but the industry’s earnings are increasing. While the number of players doubled to 600,000 in 2021 from a year earlier, the industry’s revenues increased by 29% from 7.5 billion to 9.7 billion, according to a March analysis by EY-FICCI.
Smaller cities, according to experts, could contribute a big amount of eSports’ target audience, who prefer to watch material on TV rather than subscribe to OTT platforms, and tie-ups with TV channels would expand eSports’ reach to far-flung portions of India.
eSports, according to Lokesh Suji, director of the ESFI and vice president of the Asian Esports Federation, is still misunderstood in India, and television will help more people understand that it is a competitive sport in which gamers use their physical and mental abilities to compete in specific video game genres.
“This will elevate eSports into the mainstream, giving it the same level of reputation, validity, and fandom as traditional sports.” “ESports, like cricket or football, can be enjoyed through a television set and a DTH service,” said Akshat Rathee, managing director and co-founder of NODWIN Gaming.
Experts believe that access to television and other traditional media outlets might boost foreign investment and provide new advertising and branding opportunities. “Unlike digital viewing, television viewing does not interrupt a key time with an ad blocker, which is something no one wants,” Suji noted.
