New playbook: Online gaming companies, brands target offline streaming in India

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

This wasn't a concert featuring Bollywood stars or a stand-up gig. Instead, it was a first of its kind e-gaming streaming event by gaming major Krafton. The event was the grand finale of the popular BGMI (Battleground Mobile India) series.

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Gaming companies such as Krafton, Nodwin Gaming and Jio Games along with brands such as iQOO, Lenovo and Red Bull are investing large sums of money in offline streaming of popular esports leagues in physical arenas across India. The sponsors are encouraged by the large footfalls in these tournaments in a single day, which they believe can help attract a wider audience of potential players and viewers.


For instance, BGMI's finale saw celebrity athlete Neeraj Chopra distribute a prize pool of Rs 2 crore to the winners, one of the highest sums paid in South Asian esports.
“We were overwhelmed by the unexpected response that Mumbai showed us,” said Karan Pathak, head of esports at Krafton. “We wanted to fulfil the dreams of these 16 teams and 82 players coming from India’s grassroots and being staged at this massive pedestal.”

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Pathak told ET that Krafton wishes to make BGMI a global game and therefore, will announce another series this month with a total prize pool of Rs 2.5 crore, besides inviting participation from Korean teams.

According to a report by FICCI-EY, esports tournaments are set to gather a total prize money of Rs 30