Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
eSports in the UK - statistics & facts
The eSports market has boomed in recent years, with the world of competitive gaming transitioning from a niche hobby to a fully-fledged professional sport. In the United Kingdom, the eSports industry was set to more than double in size between 2020 and 2029. Some of the largest segments within this industry include media rights, merchandise and ticketing, and sponsorship and advertising. Meanwhile, the streaming market within UK eSports was expected to generate 3.68 million U.S. dollars in revenue by 2027. eSports were also projected to reach over 23 million users in the UK by 2029, with an estimated average revenue per user of 12.81 U.S. dollars.
With growing users on Twitch and other streaming platforms, as well as healthy prize pools and recognition from mainstream sports and media, the outlook for eSports in the United Kingdom is certainly promising.
The wider video game market in the UK
Gaming is popular among young people in the UK, with 83 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds playing video games in 2023. The figure dropped to less than one quarter of respondents aged 65 or older. Online gaming is also on the rise, with 74 percent of male and 63 percent of female gamers stating that they played games online in the most recent measurement period. Particularly notable here is the increase in popularity of video gaming among female gamers, with interest increasing almost threefold between 2018 and 2023. When it comes to which games are played in the United Kingdom, EA Sports FC 24 was the best-selling video game in the UK in 2023, followed by Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.Record-breaking eSports earnings
eSports has become increasingly popular in the United Kingdom, with some of the most followed franchises including Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Apex Legends. The highest-earning eSports player in the UK in 2023 was Finlay Ferguson, or rise., who earned over 250 thousand U.S. dollars through his gaming exploits. Jack Robertson, or Doki, ranked second with 238 thousand U.S. dollars in earnings in that year. eSports gamers from the UK earned over 5.71 million U.S. dollars combined in prize money winnings in 2023, a significant increase from the combined earnings of 186 thousand U.S. dollars in 2012.Twitch gains popularity in the UK as a live streaming platform
Twitch is a popular video streaming platform that has gained traction in the UK. According to a 2023 survey, 67 percent of UK social media users were aware of Twitch. The platform's mobile app had approximately 25 thousand downloads in the UK in 2023. The majority of Twitch users in the UK were men, with 11 percent of men reporting using the platform in comparison to four percent of women. In terms of the age distribution of Twitch users, just under 15 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds used the platform, while this fell to just two percent in those aged 50 to 64.With growing users on Twitch and other streaming platforms, as well as healthy prize pools and recognition from mainstream sports and media, the outlook for eSports in the United Kingdom is certainly promising.
