< Previous20 How does ESL choose its brand partners, what are the most important criteria? Our goal is always to work with the best brands in each category. Many brands have realized that younger target groups are hard to reach with their established marketing plans. Esports is one of the few catalysts to establish a connection to Gen Y, Gen Z and Co. It is especially important for us here that the partners enter into an authentic and long-term commitment and subsequently create added value for the player and fans. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? You cooperate with Bayes, which launched BEDEX, the first independent esports data marketplace for in-game data. Why? What are you looking for? Bayes, as the global leader in esports data, was the logical fit as a partner for us as they are not only the most experienced, but also the most committed data company in the industry. Especially in regards to the ever-increasing volume of betting on esports competitions, it is the next logical step in our efforts to preserve and promote integrity across all competitions. An independent data marketplace, such as BEDEX, can set industry standards and solve the problem of a very fragmented esports data landscape. 2021 A service provider view from Shadows Managing Director Benjamin Riewe The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? In 2019, the esports industry brought in more than $1 Billion in revenue. With revenue of that scale, it is worth having a look at how important data is in the equation. Not only was this sum an important milestone in the history of esports, but it is also a milestone in the market value of data. It has become clearer than ever that data is turning into a valuable commodity. The esports landscape is scattered with different data formats and levels of granularity. This means that although data exists in plentiful supply, there are varying levels of quality and consistency within data, and it cannot be said that all data is the same. Data can be provided in different formats, with different degrees of delay (timeliness) and different levels of information contained. From surface level to richness, the scope of data is wide and can serve different needs, but it is not always provided in a manner that suits the needs of the consumer looking to purchase and use it. This puts a huge overhead on anyone who wants to work with more than one data source, i.e. different games. The types of data are not set into firm formats or patterns. That means that data fully depends on what the provider offers, and the differences may be bound to a certain type of data source. One game does not provide the same data as another. Different nuances of data are relevant for different sources. I am convinced that, going forward, the objective goal is to have high-quality tools for esports athletes or any media applications/use-cases. It is important to have a certain minimum standard to guarantee a consistent experience among different games/titles. This objective entails having a guarantee of quality across the board, and including various data sources, no matter the individual granularity. The best-case scenario is to have reliable data, no matter which esports it is. It stands to reason that having a good data foundation will help teams with their various endeavours in which data plays a key role, such as finding promising talents faster and making important decisions based on qualitative and high-quality quantifiable data. Companies like Bayes Esports Solutions put forth the effort of creating a good base for data exchange in the esports industry. Providing data centrally and in a unified format helps providers distribute and consumers to find the right data that they can use, without the difficulties of integration.22 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? Esports needs reliable data However, this notion is still at the beginning, and it will take some time to have a standard in place that has a high enough coverage among all relevant titles. Continuing to make steps in the right direction allows data consumers to develop their products more easily and helps products be built for a wider variety of games within esports. I am very happy to see that there are now players in the market like Bayes that strife to ensure a high and consistent data quality exposed via a standardized API. For products like Shadow, this is tremendously helpful and the key to us to focus on our core competency rather than wasting valuable resources on curating data. Martin Dachselt from Bayes and Ben Riewe from Shadow (in the middle) support during LoL Worlds 201923 A data consumer view with focus on betting, from Pinnacle: Interview with Marco Blume Pinnacle is a respected industry leader with over 20 years’ experience in online betting. In addition to an established reputation for always offering the best value and an unrivalled betting experience, the online bookmaker is also renowned for producing educational content to help empower bettors. Marco Blume’s path into the world of sports betting stemmed from his interest in poker. After a few years playing poker professionally, he was introduced to Pinnacle by a friend from the Magic the Gathering scene (a card game built on game theory and probability). Marco quickly moved on from simply trading sports and has spent 11 of his 13 years with Pinnacle as the company’s Trading Director. He is revealing why data is so important for his company, how Pinnacle is choosing their partners and how an onboarding process could look like. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? Marco Blume Trading Director, Pinnacle Marco, what does your brand stand for? Pinnacle has over 20 years’ experience in online betting. We’re considered the first that had turned esports into a competitive sport. Our low margins allow us to offer the best odds in the industry. What is particularly innovative in your company?24 Pinnacle is characterized by the fact that customers are not limited. We allow customers to be winners. Most other bookmakers would kick out customers who are not profitable for them. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? Which markets play the biggest role for you at esports? Why? For us the most important markets are Northern Europe, the CAS regions and Southeast Asia. They watch and play the most esports. Betting also plays a big role. How do you see the effects of Corona on esports? Esports is the only major content bookmakers could offer during the Corona Pandemic. Yes, we register a greater interest. Many bookmakers are trying to expand their esports portfolio. Twitch numbers are up, turnover is growing. It’s sad to say, but esports has benefited from Corona. On a global level esports is still a niche. What needs to change to make esports mainstream? The whole ecosystem of esports must become more professional. The top leagues are well organized, but the middle segment is very chaotic. 25 Why is data so important in esports? Data is important in every sport. Esports is no exception. As bookmakers, we need data to show who is playing, what results are achieved, etc. We need non-delayed data if we want to offer our customers the best product. Here the esports has a lot of catching up to do compared to the traditional sport. How do you choose your partners, what are the most important criteria? As far as our data suppliers are concerned, the most important criteria are how much data we get (which means the volume) and how accurate the data is. For us, accurate means above all non-delayed. In the betting business, data must be fast. You cooperate with Bayes, which launched BEDEX, the first independent esports data marketplace for in-game data. Why? What are you looking for? From a long-term view, we are looking for data that meets our high standards. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? 26 How do you get value out of Bayes’ official data? We think about data in various categories. The first is simple: when does the game start, what is the result? But then it gets more complex: with the help of machine learning we create better models that make the game even more accurate. The goal is to offer the customer a wider set of attractive betting options. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? Can you share insights about the onboarding process? That varies from provider to provider. Often the onboarding process takes between three and six weeks. The question is how well our systems fit together: Are the data structures compatible or do we need to initiate transformation processes? Roughly speaking, the steps are as follows: Integration, collection and storage of all available data, tests by our research team and then transformation. 27 A data consumer view with focus on media, from TOKIGAMES: Interview with Matthews Chang TOKIGAMES innovates, develops, and provides white-label ‘Games’ as an ‘Audience Marketing & Engagement Solution’ (G.A.M.E.S.) through an experiential domain to enable esports stakeholders to create authentic and meaningful experiences for audiences. Matthews Chang is founder, COO and CMO of the company. The former account manager who is specialized in fashion commercialization and localization is implementing strategy and operations at TOKIGAMES. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? Matthews Chang founder, COO and CMO TOKIGAMES Matthews, what does your brand stand for? We believe that spectating sports/ esports ought to be an interactive, engaging and empowering experience that converts the passive spectator into an active audience by enabling fans to participate, and to feel included and involved, in the epic moments during the course of a live sports/esports match. 2728 We have designed and developed the world’s first live fantasy platform for sports and esports where unlike traditional fantasy platforms, our users are able to actively participate in the live sporting event throughout the entire duration of the match. In addition, we utilize fast and accurate data to reflect the actual performance of the players and teams in real-time within our platform as users participate in our contests. This allows users to leverage on their knowledge of the players, teams and tactics in real time to make decisions on their gameplay within our platform. What is particularly innovative in your company? The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? 29 What is particularly innovative in your company? The biggest markets for esports are still the developed western countries. The infrastructure, interest, and most importantly funds are concentrated in these locations with the largest tournaments being held in these locals. That being said, we are seeing huge growth potential in esports developing countries in South East Asia and South Asia as companies look to capitalize on growing income levels and existing interest in gaming in these regions. As a result, we are seeing large tournaments and qualifiers’ being created to serve this market. How do you see the effects of Corona on Esports? As odd as it is to say, we believe that the COVID-19 pandemic, as terrible as it is, is helping the growth of esports. As more people are forced to stay indoors and as major sporting competitions are being suspended (or cancelled), people are looking to avenues for entertainment. Esports, with its ability to be played and broadcasted entirely online, is providing a lot of people the entertainment that was once provided by social gatherings and spectating traditional sports. Through this, we are seeing huge growth in esports viewership which in turn will help normalize the industry. Where in the past, esports may have been viewed as a form of alternative entertainment, with the current crisis, esports is now being thrusted into the mainstream as major outlets look to find broadcast content. If the esports industry is able to capitalize on the attention it is receiving, it will only accelerate growth. Esports has been placed in the position of providing entertainment and joy in this chaotic and bleak time and our hope is that the industry would be able to further capitalize on this opportunity to take major strides in mainstream acceptance. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? Next >