A SuperData Research report showed that video gaming and esports had their "biggest year yet" in '17, according to Angelos Anastasopoulos of THE ESPORTS OBSERVER. The market research firm found out that the global gaming industry generated $108.4B during the year, while esports accumulated $756M in revenues. The esports market is "growing rapidly" and the company predicts that '18 will be the year when the $1B "milestone will be reached." This is "not the only" report to forecast esports' "further growth." In December, Newzoo predicted that esports will be a $2.4B industry in '20. Analysts also agree that the esports industry is "heavily" dependent on sponsorships and advertising. They "tally" up 70% of the total revenues generated in the esports market, according to the SuperData study, followed by prize money (11%), betting and amateur tournaments (10%) and merchandising and ticketing (9%). What attracts the "willing-to-spend sponsors is the increasing popularity of esports." SuperData estimated that the number of esports enthusiasts has reached 258 million average monthly unique viewers (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 2/1).
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