< Previous30 On a global level Esports is still a niche. What needs to change to make esports mainstream? We believe the definition of mainstream changes depending on who you ask. For the teenagers today, esports is already considered part of their mainstream media. For the rest of us, we are seeing the movement of esports into what we consider‚ mainstream’ with more traditional networks picking up esports and virtual sports broadcasts. However, as is the case with making anything mainstream, the industry will require increased sponsorships and increased marketing of the heroes within esports to further bring the esport into the mainstream. In the end, esports needs its Michael Jordans, Larry Birds, Babe Ruths, it’s Peles and David Beckhams to draw people in and the industry is already implementing efforts to support the development of new players in the industry and the well-being of its players as well as increasing support from corporate brands through sponsorships. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? Why is data so important in Esports? Data serves as the backbone for content and ancillary product development around the esports industry. The data is essential for the storytelling of great matches and serves as another avenue for fans to more deeply engage with the player/team. For esports, the need for in-game data is all the more important as it is ingrained within the audience as gamers. This data becomes critical for understanding how a player might perform as well as to find areas for improvement. Using the data collected in esports, ancillary products and platforms are able to provide supporting services as well as engagement tools to add value to the fans consumption of esports.31 Why does your company need accurate esports data? TOKIGAMES is on the forefront of live spectator engagement with our proprietary gamification platform that provides authentic and meaningful experiences. Live and accurate data is critical for our platform and solutions as it serves as it supports the calculation of user scores and for our patented market simulation engine. Incorrect information directly impacts not only the users experience but could also impact their position on the leaderboard. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Who needs accurate esports data? How do you choose your partners, what are the most important criteria? The most important criteria for us was timely and accurate data for a wide range of titles and disciplines. The availability of accurate live match data is critical for our gamification solution.32 Variance in global markets 5 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Variance in global markets Esports have two main markets that need to be minded. Asia, in particular China, and the rest of the world, which includes various regions such as Europe, the Americas and CIS. Different markets have different needs, trends and communities. China is leading in terms of numbers and engagement with esports. The rest of the world make up decent viewership of various games. Esports is a subculture of video games, and that needs to be understood. Video games have variance. There are simply too many types of games and too many different kinds of people to all be unified and treated as one sport and one community. The biggest difference in trends and approach to esports between Asia and the rest of the world is the question of mobile. Across Asia, mobile gaming has been a huge uptrend, depending on various social factors. Mobile experiences are far more common than PC gaming. Some of that is a question of affordability. The rest of the world can be typified as an hardcore audience which hates mobile gaming. Or at least, has a strong, negative opinion about it. This could be attributed to the age of the gaming audience, which are more inclined to PC Gaming. Just like with traditional sports, there are different audiences for different games. That means that what is popular in the region needs to be researched before any engagement in the market happens. Audience inclined to PC Gaming33 The value can only be determined by knowing what will generate the most data and profit. Frequently, this isn’t prioritized, and particularly western companies are not aware of regional preferences in gaming and community engagement. It makes a difference to know which video game connected to esports is popular, how the audience pursues engagement with the video game, for example by attending internet cafes or simply using their mobile phone and whether or not content is consumed via streaming. China is the largest market for esports, and therefore reserves the need for research for companies outside of the region. China’s preferences and trends need to be known so that they can be assessed for questions as to what will be compelling. Just as an example, games such as King of Glory and PubG Mobile, which enjoy massive popularity in China. In conclusion, esports scenes within each region are different, and those differences need to be known in detail. This includes knowing which games are popular, how they are played and watched, what the monetary situation within them is, which publishers and events are popular, and what the consumer response is to such events. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Variance in global markets 34 Excursus: 3 data trends 6 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Excursus: 3 data trends With an industry that’s predicted to exceed more than $1.5 billion in revenue next year 1 , esports are hotter than ever before. Globally, the industry could scale to 7 Billion Dollars by 2023 2 . Viewership continues to grow as innovations and technology evolve. Independent data marketplaces, such as BEDEX, solve the problem of very fragmented esports data, which is not accessible for people who want to buy it because it’s locked into exclusive contracts. This solution, in turn, is enabling the community and third-party operators to create a wide array of services, bolstering the sport. Martin Dachselt, Managing Director of Bayes Esports Solutions - which invented BEDEX - shares 3 data trends that will shape the esports market in the years ahead. Martin Dachselt Managing Director Bayes Esports Solutions Data trend #1: Vertical expansion At the moment, the main driver for esports data is the betting industry. They need accurate data for their predictions, calculation of probabilities and odds. However, this use case is limited and will change in the future. The number of use cases will increase if esports can attract a more casual viewership. In order to appeal to a broader audience and encourage them to watch the matches, it’s important to give them a better understanding of what is happening in the match. You need to give them statistics, show them replays of team fights. Commentators should be able to share a deeper explanation why a match was lost or why a team has won. This is not the case right now. Media use cases are often very limited and only displaying the results. Accurate, real time data will enable third party providers to build innovative tools and entertain a broader community. 1 https://www.businessinsider.com/esports-ecosystem-market-report?r=DE&IR=T 2 https://www.slideshare.net/ActivateInc/activate-technology-media-outlook-2020-18541781535 The need for deep in-game data is connected to vertical expansion. If new users such as media companies want to provide advanced entertainment and increase the engagement of the users, it’s important to offer them dynamic information. A lot of games are very complex. For somebody who has not been an esports maven before, it’s near impossible to understand. To give an example; Next to the video screen of one player should be a window with a neutral overview of the map, showing where the other players are located and so on. Deep In-game data helps to understand the game. Ongoing explosions and fights are not enough for a broader audience. They need to understand the strategic components of what is happening. Community asks for advanced entertainment Data trend #2: Horizontal expansion As mentioned, the betting industry has a very strong position in esports. This results in a big run on main game titles such as Dota 2, CS:Go and League of Legends. But there are so many other great titles with a lot of players which are not covered. Therefore, we need to provide data for all relevant game titles. Getting data from regional leagues is very difficult. It’s not available in an easy and central place. But doesn’t the sports media want to have access to all content such as table tennis or figure skating? We need the same approach in esports to make it attractive for the media and their consumers. Data trend #3: Need of deep in-game data The Bayes esports data report 2020 I Excursus: 3 data trends 36 3 Tips for Data Providers on maximising esports data value 7 The Bayes esports data report 2020 I 3 Tips for Data Providers on maximising esports data value Data is what provides value in esports. If you want to understand how to maximise that value, here are three categories of tips for you to consider. The first distinction that needs to be made is between Data Providers and Data Consumers. Both parties have a vested interest in maximising the potential of esports data. The methods may be similar in points, but of course, both parties have different avenues of maximising the value of esports data value. The most important tip for Data Providers is to understand the nature of their data and the need to pre-exists for it. Undelayed, high quality data, rich in features and depth is the premium standard of the industry. However, it is not the only type of data, and the potential customers for it can be refined and differentiated from customers who may have a very different need for data and can potentially be satisfied with a lesser standard of data. The best approach for a Data Provider is to put themselves into the position of the Data Consumers, in order to understand the differences in their needs and their use of data, says Ben Steenhusen, Data Scientist at Bayes Esports Solutions A vivid example would be to consider an odds provider and a media company. The odds provider requires undelayed, accurate data with as much depth as possible, such as positional data, in order to provide their product and customers with a high-quality experience. Odds providers have a standing need for premium data, which they may wish to purchase exclusively in order to gain an advantage over their competition. A media company will have a different need for data. They may be interested in data in order to build visualizations, or to create statistics in order to enrich their product and the experience for their customers. The baseline here is to understand that different consumers have different needs, and the data supply needs to be tailored accordingly. Understanding the use case is fundamental.37 The second tip for a Data Provider would be; to understand that not all data is the same. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I 3 Tips for Data Providers on maximising esports data value Certain properties of data make it more expensive or cheaper for purchase. THE PROPERTIES OF DATA Delay less delayed data is more valuable Richness the depth of information contained in the data Accuracy the correctness of the data Reliability the trustworthiness of the data source Each of these properties affects the value of the data itself, and that is key to understanding what the differences are. Of course, there is also a distinction between the types of data itself. Positional data, mentioned in the previous example, offers very little in terms of analytics, but can satisfy a media company’s product which may be focused on it. Historical data, also mentioned in the previous example, can do more than enrich and create statistics, it can also be used to feed products that may be focused on learning from it and help customers improve their skills within the game. Live data is the key for consumers that rely on the timeliness of their data. It is the second by second update of what is happening within an esports match, and which way the probability of winning is leaning. This data needs to be accurate and fast, but it may not actually be of interest for data consumers that don’t focus their product on providing esports results or odds. The format of the data also affects its value. This doesn’t necessarily mean the format of the actual data itself, but rather, where it came from, what it pertains to, and how it is packaged to be sold.38 Esports data prices and demand depend highly on the size of the tournament they are taken from. A premium event produces data that will have a high demand, and in every standard of quality. The appropriate package for selling data is something that needs to be considered as a three-dimensional model. The three points are data granularity, data quality and delay. The variations in each of these points create various data package models, and each of them may be appropriate quality to the appropriate consumer who has a need for them. The premium package of data is undelayed, live, precise and complete data, but again, this may not be what a customer needs, so there should be options to tailor the data package and price to the needs of the consumer. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I 3 Tips for Data Providers on maximising esports data value Key learnings It is important for Data Consumers to have a clear understanding of what their own needs are. There is no need to pay for premium, expensive data, if only a small part of it actually matters for their own product. A data seller does not only have the option of premium and cheap data; there should be room to tailor the package to the consumer’s needs. Once a seller has the data, it should be a matter of practice to provide the precise need of the consumer. This, of course, demands that the Data Consumer fully understands the quality of data they require and how much it is worth. The third and last tip for Data Providers concerns; the distribution of their data. There is a need for the understanding of tailoring packages to consumer needs, and for creating a series of packages, or products, that may meet the consumer need. Or at least offer some clarity to the consumer so they can decide which product will meet the need of their own product. A differentiated grade of data can still cover the pre-existing practices for selling data, but it needs to be available and sellers need to be aware of how that alone could improve the profit they gain from their data. Offering undelayed, exclusive data may only find one consumer customer, but also offering cheaper, delayed data could attract multiple consumer customers for no real additional effort from the seller’s side. A seller may sell their premium to one customer, their 30 second delayed data to three customers, and their 1 Minute delay data to thirty customers.By offering a series of products, the seller reduces the barriers for entry for a lot of consumers. Some data buyers may not be obtaining the data on their own behalf, and therefore could be looking for properties other than the high quality of the data. Some data buyers may be put off of a purchase by the complex work involved in getting data from the provider to the consumer’s product, for example through time-consuming integrations and authentications. An agile ecosystem should be the goal within the esports data industry, in which consumer demands are met by provider packages and the methods are simplified by unifying the access and format of the data itself. The Bayes esports data report 2020 I 3 Tips for Data Providers on maximising esports data value 39 www.bayes.ggNext >