Esports attracts $325M from brand marketers desperate for a young audience

Esports has an enormous audience, and it’s quickly making more cash thanks to the power of those dedicated fans.

Corporations are going to spend $325 million on sponsorships and marketing related to the esports market this year, according to intelligence firm Newzoo. That’s 70 percent of all the revenue competitive gaming will generate in 2016. $197 million of that will take the form of advertising and $128 million go toward direct sponsorships. Pro tournaments for games like shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and hyperpopular arena battlers League of Legends and Dota 2 draw tens of millions of viewers, and those are mostly people in the key demographic of men between the ages of 13 and 34.