The recent spate of e-sports investments by traditional sports league owners is a good sign, said GMR Marketing Chief Strategic Officer for Client Services Dave Rosenberg during the opening presentation of the ’16 E-Sports Forum. “I think it’s what the industry needs,” he said. “We think it will be a very positive thing for e-sports and gaming.” Rosenberg said while other platforms are trying to get a share of the eyeballs, Twitch remains best positioned to benefit from the influx of e-sports interest. “Twitch is the ESPN of e-sports,” he said. “Just like ESPN has had other networks come in and get some viewer eyeballs, I think Twitch knows that will happen and will improve their product. We have to realize that’s a global audience and there will be competitors, but I think they will be successful.” Rosenberg said that engaging e-sports fans requires more than just putting out a broad marketing effort. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all group,” he said. He highlighted his firm’s recent survey about e-sports fans, where to reach them and how. The key, he said, is to target different groups, whether they play games, watch others compete, or do both. “The ability to ID and target specific segments of e-sports fan is critical,” he said.
