Esports sponsorship is on the rise. In the past year, many new brands have been added to the roster of leagues across the globe. Zooming in on the world’s largest franchised leagues in the world, the LPL, LEC, LCS, OWL, and KPL, shows that there are fewer opportunities for brands from some industries, leading to increased competition. At the same time, there are still plenty of spots open for a wide variety of brands seeking to engage with esports fans.

The world’s biggest brands have already discovered this wealth of opportunities and are tracking consumer engagement in gaming and esports continuously—like they already do with traditional media. Still, the majority of consumer brands are struggling to navigate these uncharted waters, trying to discover if, why, and how they can get involved. In this report, we analyze sponsorship possibilities and recent brand activations within the five franchised leagues mentioned.

Highlights