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28 How esports may influence the digitalization of the media ecosystem

  • Tobias M. Scholz
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De Gruyter Handbook of Media Economics
This chapter is in the book De Gruyter Handbook of Media Economics

Abstract

The impact of esports on the media industry has been a topic of interest in recent years due to the rapid growth and maturation of the esports industry. Esports provides valuable insights into the digital media ecosystem. However, despite its exponential growth, the esports industry still lacks a sustainable business model. This can be challenging for media companies struggling to digitize their business models and adapt them to the digital environment. The esports ecosystem is highly volatile and constantly evolving, with ongoing friction and trial-and-error efforts observable within the network. While esports incorporate aspects of sports, business, leisure, technology, culture, diversity, digitalization, and media, it also has unique characteristics that make it different from other industries. Esports, as a cross-sectional phenomenon, exhibits convergence in merging distinct media platforms into a unified digital environment, complicating traditional media practices. Conversely, its divergence tendency, with audience experiences fragmented across multiple platforms, poses challenges to the media industry in terms of targeting and monetization. Despite the challenges, media companies are increasingly investing in esports content, recognizing the value of this growing industry by tapping into new markets and expanding their reach.

Abstract

The impact of esports on the media industry has been a topic of interest in recent years due to the rapid growth and maturation of the esports industry. Esports provides valuable insights into the digital media ecosystem. However, despite its exponential growth, the esports industry still lacks a sustainable business model. This can be challenging for media companies struggling to digitize their business models and adapt them to the digital environment. The esports ecosystem is highly volatile and constantly evolving, with ongoing friction and trial-and-error efforts observable within the network. While esports incorporate aspects of sports, business, leisure, technology, culture, diversity, digitalization, and media, it also has unique characteristics that make it different from other industries. Esports, as a cross-sectional phenomenon, exhibits convergence in merging distinct media platforms into a unified digital environment, complicating traditional media practices. Conversely, its divergence tendency, with audience experiences fragmented across multiple platforms, poses challenges to the media industry in terms of targeting and monetization. Despite the challenges, media companies are increasingly investing in esports content, recognizing the value of this growing industry by tapping into new markets and expanding their reach.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents VII
  3. Contributors XI
  4. Introduction
  5. 1 De Gruyter handbook of media economics: Introduction 1
  6. Mapping the field of media economics
  7. 2 Media economics research: Scope, value and significance 13
  8. 3 Business perspectives on the digital economy 27
  9. 4 Media innovation studies: An expanding field 43
  10. Perspectives on media economics methods
  11. 5 Media economics research: Accessing and working with official and non-official statistics 61
  12. 6 Dealing with causal complexity in media economics and management research: An introduction to qualitative comparative analysis 77
  13. 7 Working with datafication in media industries research 93
  14. 8 Experimental methods in media economics research: Understanding the human factor in decision-making 105
  15. Perspectives on teaching media economics
  16. 9 Developing a curriculum for media economics 115
  17. 10 Teaching media management and economics in China 127
  18. 11 Toward decolonizing the media economics curriculum in Africa 149
  19. Market-level trends in media economics
  20. 12 The audience in media markets 169
  21. 13 Developments in advertising markets and their effects on media companies 185
  22. 14 The effects of streaming on media markets 201
  23. 15 Challenges and opportunities for recommender systems in media markets 215
  24. 16 The stunning longevity of media ownership concentration 229
  25. 17 Old and new leaders in global media markets 249
  26. 18 Global sports media rights market 267
  27. 19 The economics of media in the Arab world: A case study of Egypt 279
  28. 20 Latin America media panorama 291
  29. Industry-level Trends in Media Economics
  30. 21 Clusters in media industries: What is their added value? 303
  31. 22 The music industry: A trendsetter among the media industries? 319
  32. 23 New economics of the music industry: Blockchains, metadata and agency problems 333
  33. 24 The economics of influencers and social media stardom 349
  34. 25 From platform users to platform labor: Understanding vlogging as a media industry in China 369
  35. 26 The economics of fake news 379
  36. 27 The economics of podcasting 389
  37. 28 How esports may influence the digitalization of the media ecosystem 401
  38. 29 Disruptive informality: Nollywood and the tensions of informal economies 415
  39. Firm-level trends in media economics
  40. 30 The transformation of news in the digital age: Business model changes, challenges, and future directions 431
  41. 31 Redefining digital publishing business in platform ecosystems in China: The case of WeChat Read 451
  42. 32 Precarity, but also possibilities for creativity: Back to the future of work in print news media 465
  43. 33 User data analytics in media organizations 477
  44. Societal value trends in media economics
  45. 34 Changing authorship and copyright in media markets – A value approach 497
  46. 35 Public service media: Challenges for delivering universal public service in the platform age 511
  47. 36 Digital platforms and minority language media: Exploring the prospects of Banjara language media in India 527
  48. Conclusion
  49. 37 Media economics: Key observations and reflections by the editors 541
  50. List of figures 555
  51. List of tables 557
  52. Index 559
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