< Previous10 Why is data so important to esports? The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Defining the difference of esports and traditional sports Reliable data from matches, tournaments and players are a prerequisite to making scheduling better - for organizers, teams and fans. It also allows third parties and media companies to make products to inform the fans about the sport, and offer involvement and organization around a solid schedule, much more in line with traditional sports. Esports do have some glaring differences to traditional sports that cannot be ignored. They require more explanation, as the events of a game are not as apparent as a traditional sport. There are frequently ten players, all performing within their own high skill set, but the action may be difficult to follow and understand. Without data, it is nearly impossible to even judge a high skill set in esports. Esports are extremely game-dependent, and game-knowledge dependent. And that game knowledge is anchored in data. Data also offers organizers a valuable profit - with accurate and reliable data, more time can be invested into the possibilities of monetizing the data you already have at your disposal, by adding statistics, better possibilities for betting as well as advertising. Data deals can bring organizers great profit. Hurdles of Data The costs for an esports match are higher than a traditional sports match, simply because there are more data points. Esports happen more quickly, with multiple events that demand data points. Traditional sports employ manual data curation and scouting, which are concepts that esports cannot support, because they are too demanding. Too fast, too much - and yet, quality data is absolutely key. In combat to this conundrum, esports can offer a direct data source from the server. This way, quality data becomes available and should eliminate the struggle of manually curating data and missing events. However, that is the ideal case and sadly not the current reality of the industry. This paradox brings a rattail of problems for various data users with it. Those that acquire data to build apps and statistics find the chaos too restricting, and the risks too high. Small tournament organizers miss valuable opportunities to monetize and distribute their data, as well as getting caught up in the cycle of unregulated schedules and chaos. 1011 SUPPLYDEMAND Publishers / IP Owners Rights Holders / Tournament Org. Distribution Agents Service Providers Business Consumers End Consumers Game Publisher Tournament Organizer Tournament Organizer BAYES Distribution Partner BEDEXUnified API and data structure Sportradar / BAYES Esports Media Bookmaker Game Publisher Distribution Partner Analytics Partner Pro Team How can the future of esports data look The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Defining the difference of esports and traditional sports The future of esports must include Standards and neutral Marketplaces like BEDEX in order to put a stop to the currently existing chaos,... says Martin Dachselt, Managing Director of Bayes Esports Solutions. Esports Data Distribution Scenarios Bayes Esports Solutions BEDEX: How the future of esports data could look12 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Defining the difference of esports and traditional sports Data extraction, a unified format for easy use, centrally provided sources (with fewer contracts), are all tools that need to be in place in order to connect the many organizers with the many potential users and clients and bring some structure into the scene. Tournament organizers should know that their data is worth more than they understand. In this regard, esports needs to learn from traditional sports, in order to build profit out of data. And not only profit, but community engagement is a key factor. Right now, esports live on hardcore fans that understand their specific sport down to a granular level. They make a point out of learning tournament formats and game mechanics in order to understand high skill gaming. But it is the casual fan that esports needs to look toward engaging as well. The fan that may not have the dedicated time and resources to focus on their esport like a hardcore fan but would still enjoy spending their limited time with their favourite esports events. CARP enables a stronger esports media presence 13 The Betting Industry cannot sustain on delayed data. Delayed data defeats the purpose of the customer experience of any betting client. The competition within the industry is built on the concept of speed. With a fast data stream you as an operator are ahead of your competitors who might work with delayed data and bear a high financial risk, ... explains Juana Bischoff, Head of Sales at Bayes Esports Solutions. Who needs accurate esports data? 4 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? The client base is strongly varied, and as such, their needs and requirements for data are diverse. There are three broad groups of clients for data in esports, who share some requirements for data, but use it for a wide variety of purposes. Potential client Nr 1: Betting industry The first group of clients are betting clients. They require data of the highest quality. Highest quality in data means that the data is reliable and accurate, rich in its depth and has a speedy delivery. Richness of data can be defined by depth and granularity. The easiest comparison between a quality data stream and a public data stream is as follows; a public data stream does not give access to a lot of underlying, important information that affects the outcome of the games themselves. A quality data stream offers accurate data in depth, which includes the data usually hidden. Time is key for the betting industry; speedy delivery of high-quality data allows them to offer their users the best experience. It is a vital cornerstone for the industry, as all customers want a good experience. An option for betting clients that comes with a huge risk is the use of public, or the far more dire option of illegally obtained data. Public data is potentially slow and incomplete, whereas illegal data is a huge risk. If a betting operator uses such a stream, the stream could disappear at any given moment. Building a product on such a data stream is an enormous risk. An unreliable source could be here today, gone tomorrow. And with it, a client’s product. 14 Potential client Nr 2: Media Companies The second group of clients are media companies that report online and live on esports events. Media clients that require esports data include a broad number of products, from Google and widgets to visual products. The speed of the data isn’t necessarily the top priority for these clients, but they need reliable, complete and accurate information for their live tickers, results and standings. Media companies have much interest in a central and reliable platform which enables them creating public products such as match calendars, visualizations, heat maps, analytics and visualization tools, to name a few. It’s an exciting prospect to see the many ideas that esports enthusiasts provide. A remarkable observation is the dedication to making a great and special experience for esports fans. Many clients are esports fans themselves, and their goal in building products is providing a great experience that also entertains the user. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? KEY LEARNING The user experience has to engage the user and entertain, while also offering the best and most accurate data. Potential client Nr 3: Rights’ Holders The third group of clients contains the right holders, which means the publishers of the game and the tournament organizers. They wish to give the esports fan an enjoyable experience but give out their data to numerous sources in varying degrees. This doesn’t mean that the data is public for anyone to use, and it may only reside with an exclusive recipient. Rights’ holders are interested in the distribution and monetization of their data. What helps them is bringing their data into a unified format which always travels in the same queue and offering a simpler integration with a single API. This means that valuable time and effort is not wasted on integrating various methods of access. Indeed, one of the big hurdles in esports data is the huge number of API integrations currently necessary within the industry. Data comes in different formats and through different APIs, all of which need to be integrated individually. This means that valuable time isn’t spent on the product itself but squandered in the integration process. Rights’ holder clients also ask for speedy delivery, which must be faster than any public stream. Within esports, many things happen within seconds.15 CHECKLIST: IS YOUR DATA GOOD ENOUGH Timely faster than a public stream Rich including unseen data that influences the game’s outcome Accurate everything provided is correct Granular nothing is missed Unified one format you can trust Simple Integration with just one API instead of many Reliable directly from the rights holder Risk-free data you can build any product you wish on and trust it will be there tomorrow The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? 1516 A right holder view from ESL: Interview with Bernhard Mogk ESL is the world’s largest esports company. With offices and studios all around the world, it has been leading esports innovation on a global scale for nearly two decades by building esports ecosystems. ESL is part of MTG, the leading, international digital entertainment group. Bernhard Mogk, SVP Global Business Development at ESL, reveals industry insights, new market trends such as mobile gaming and their strategy on data. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? ESL Pro league Season 10 Finals Odense 2019 Bernhard Mogk SVP Global Business Development, ESL17 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? What does your brand stand for? Founded nearly 20 years ago, ESL has been developed into the world’s largest esports company leading the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and in-venue competitions. It operates high profile, branded international leagues and tournaments such as ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL Pro League and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as the ESL National Championships, grassroots amateur cups and matchmaking platforms, defining the path from zero to hero for every player and fan. What is particularly innovative in your company? ESL has shaped the history of esports and over the last 20 years, set itself on a journey, to build the best matchmaking platforms, esports stages and competitions for gamers, creating more opportunities for participation and progression than any other sport. ESL has innovated the industry in terms of broadcast, production and event experience across the world’s most prestigious esports brands and products, stadium events and consistently breaking industry records with our game agnostic zero to hero approach. Which new markets trends play the biggest role for you in esports? Why? We strongly believe in the rise of mobile esports, especially in combination with the launch of 5G across all relevant tier 1 markets in 2020+. Mobile esports are providing access for the next generation of esports players and fans. Together with AT&T for North America and Vodafone for Europe, we launched the ESL Mobile Open last year by bringing some of the top mobile games to a truly competitive esport format and creating a clear path for amateurs to reach professional play.18 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? How do you see the effects of the coronavirus on esports? As one of the few sport and entertainment industries, we are in the privileged position to continue. Since this sport in its original form took place purely online, we are now returning to our roots a bit. We are seeing record viewership across all our main leagues and tournaments. Now it is our job going forward to capitalize on the mainstream attention across all demographics that we are receiving and continue to develop a sustainable and trusted environment. On a global level, esports is still a niche. What needs to change to make esports mainstream? I would disagree here, it always depends on what demographics you are looking for. For gen Y to Z, esports is already considered mainstream and is responsible for a relevant amount of the overall media consumption. Also, the latest viewership records across various games in terms of live concurrent viewers and major blue chip brands like Mercedes-Benz, Nike and PepsiCo joining the scene suggests that esports has already outgrown its niche a while ago. Why is data so important in esports? Data serves as the backbone for our community-driven content and innovative storytelling, while ensuring the competitive integrity and strengthening the overall ecosystem by creating additional revenue streams that will contribute to long-term sustainability.19 It is said that the provision of reliable in-game data in real time, exclusive contracts and manual data make the broad distribution and development of industry standards difficult. Do you share this opinion? The whole data ecosystem in esports is still in the beginning of its life cycle. Therefore, it is important that all relevant stakeholders do a better job at establishing consistent industry standards. Especially when it comes to data quality and transparency. ESL will continue to be on the forefront with its initiatives to ensure integrity and fight fraudulent activities related to illegal data. We have three main cases of how to leverage our game, tournament and player data related to our owned and operated products. Across our leagues and tournaments, we have the most engaged audience, and based on data we continue to drive broadcast innovation and create more engaging experiences for the fans. Furthermore, we continue to protect the integrity of esports competitions through fraud detection and real-time monitoring. When it comes to monetization, we want to create additional value that will contribute to the commercial sustainability of the entire ecosystem. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? What infrastructure is needed for tournament organizers and data rights holders to derive value from their data? The ever-changing nature of games requires high adaptability of data frameworks. Therefore, within ESL, we already launched ESL ProDB more than five years ago. It is a central and game agnostic data platform which ensures reliable and consistent data quality via a standardized API. With ESL ProDB, we can assure broad and structured access to live data in the fastest, most secure and accurate way possible. Apart from monetization, what is most important to tournament organizers and data rights holders?Next >