As of 2014, what had 205 million global viewers and made $194 million in revenue?
The answer: eSports.
That’s right, eSports has been on a steep ascent the past decade and it’s expected to continue for years to come. With the vast audience and revenue possibilities, professional teams have begun to take part in the action. One of the first steps was back in May when English Premier League’s West Ham United signed Sean Allen as a professional FIFA player and will officially represent the team in tournaments.
Now it’s Manchester City FC who is jumping onto the eSports train. They recently signed 18-year-old Kieran ‘Kez’ Brown from York, England to represent the team at tournaments and fan events.
“This is a natural evolution for Manchester City. We’ve been very involved with our partner, EA SPORTS, and the FIFA franchise for some time. As eSports continues to gain momentum, it makes sense for our Club to be part of the action and get closer to our fans, who love playing EA SPORTS FIFA as Manchester City. We will be a bigger presence at gaming tournaments, we will have more content through our digital channels and we will activate even more with our fans at matches and Club events,” said Diego Gigliani, Senior Vice President for Media and Innovation at the club’s City Football Marketing unit.
Kieran Brown (@_KezBrown) will also be live-streaming on twitch and making videos for Manchester City’s YouTube channel. Brown said, “It’s exciting; it’s something new for the Club and it’s something new for me. … This is an opportunity which not many people get the chance to do and I couldn’t turn it down.”
With the revenue of eSports projected to be around $465 million by 2017, there is no doubt that numerous other clubs and teams around the world will soon add eSports players to their organizations.
