Major League Gaming reports 334 percent growth in live video
Competition organiser and broadcaster reports 11.7 million unique online viewers for 2012 MLG Pro Circuit Championships online, compared to 3.5 million in 2011.
The world of eSports looks set to continue to grow, if new stats from Major League Gaming are anything to go by. The company, which organises and broadcasts four events in the United States each year, has seen a 334 percent growth in the number of people watching its live video content, according to statistics released today. The broadcaster cumulatively received 11.7 million unique online viewers compared to 3.5 million in 2011, and 1.8 million in 2010.
MLG reported that those 11.7 million viewers were predominantly male (85 percent) and in the 18-34 age bracket (60 percent). The audience consumed over 15 million hours of live online video across the Pro Circuit weekends this year.
The MLG released an info graphic (at right) to show the breakdown of its current audience figures and demographics.
19 comments
I don't find watching MLG competitions entertaining although I would imagine playing would be a thrill. I am still intrigued by the interest some have in not only watching eSports but watching particular games. It amazes me how RTS style games are so successful. It reminds me of chess, a game I'd never enjoy spectating lol. However I appreciate the fans of any game that's featured on the circuit. I was once a gamer with hopes of going pro one day but that's a thing of the past. Now, I just hope that the genre of sport continues to grow and become recognized as it should. Hopefully, there will be a game that REALLY attracts people one day. Hopefully, the line between video games and athletics will be blurred in the future.
1 Like Wasn't MLG supposed to fold like 5 years ago? Who are you people that watch others play videogames for entertainment?
@Sevenizz The cool people that's who we are! But my question is what do you picture when you think about us watching pro gaming? Because it's not the same as watching some dude on youtube playing freaking amnesia and screaming like a little girl or some shit like that. It's generally not a first person view either, they are viewed with us viewers in mind. We get that 3rd party perspective that the players don't. We see more and see them play the game at such a high level. It really is entertainment equal to how people watch sports. Now you will say this isn't sports because it's not physical yada yada yada, fine. But guess what the average person doesn't watch the freaking Super bowl or world cup because they are physical or else they would freaking watch lumberjacks or something like that. If the games you like are not esports friendly fine. I just don't get the need you people have to take a shit on us who do enjoy and get a kick out of watching such high level play that no one else can do. Why is it such a horrible thing to every one, especialy you "hardcore" gamers that this exists?
@Sevenizz Go watch some Starcraft 2 pro matches, they're actually quite entertaining and if you have even the slightest of knowledge on the controls you'll be blown away that they can manage all they do at once.
1 Like @Def_Defyin @Sevenizz I used to be SUPER into watching SC2 matches purely for the strategies and epicness of how some of those pros get out of certain situations. I agree with Eclipse, anyone who wants to criticize MLG should take a step back and realize people have been watching sports for decades.
@Sevenizz I'd like to point out that entertainment isn't the only reason people watch this. By watching pros, people are able to quickly learn effective strategies and methods for playing the featured game. Also, it's not strange for people to watch other play games, as I'll point out that mankind has been watching televised sports for decades.
i love watching major league gaming and i hope it only get more and more viewers.
i hope to see this as a real sports show where people everywhere around the world get excited for and want to watch, one day maybe?
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Its a Sport. It requires an insanely high amount of Skill, Reflexes, Mental Strength and Training. The level of visual and aural awareness during a match is unbelievable. Theres a Winner, a Looser, Fans and Commentators. How are eSports NOT sports?
Go rag on darts.
@Suikogaiden Another one of these haters huh?! It's technically a sport and in many ways and athletic one as well. Deal with it. I suppose hating is your way of dealing with it though. Do you not train your mind and muscles (hand muscle memory)? While I wouldn't rank eSports and anything near as demanding and skillful as pretty much any other type of athletics, I am mature enough to acknowledge it for what it is.
2 Like @Suikogaiden That's why it's called an eSport.
eSport: A digital game requiring skill and both physical & intellectual prowess of a competitive nature, such as Starcraft 2.
Don't try to judge something you've never actually seen. It takes serious skill, coordination, and stamina to play a game like Starcraft 2 professionally. The amount of dedication the players put in probably exceeds, if not rivals, that of a professional sports athlete.
Sports are a thing of the past dude, get with the times. Kids don't even go outside anymore.
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3 Like My nerd friends and I love watching esports! It's nice to have teams and players to watch and root for after missing out on the whole sports experience for the past twenty years of my twenty year old life.
5 Like Sounds about right. Though I'm not sure why the "related game" is black ops, when a majority of esports is in SC2, Dota2, and LoL. In second place is fighting games. And in last is FPS games.
(Note that this isn't about which games are better, it's about which games are more entertaining to watch, and have the biggest viewer counts.)
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