Drone racing and eSports as a sponsorship platform
Editorial
-
May 8, 2017
There is no end to the eSports hype. There is hardly a top European soccer club that is not involved in competitive online gaming. This is reflected in the current "Sponsor Trend 2017" study. It shows that 49% of sponsorship decision-makers (highest value) assume that eSports will continue to gain in importance. The Austrian Congress SPORT & BRAND Daniel Luther, former eSports world champion and project manager, ESB Marketing Netzwerk, presented the latest figures, which illustrated the potential for clubs. For example, eSports attracts 385 million fans worldwide, 50,000 spectators participate in the biggest events, and the top eSports competitions are watched by 35 million viewers per weekend. Due to many identical target group characteristics, more than 40 European soccer clubs are already involved in eSports and want to be present with teams in the eSports circus, including Manchester City, Paris St. Germain, FC Basel or Ajax Amsterdam.Austria follows suitAustria is following suit this year. In this context, Patrick Lenhart, Head of Marketing and PR, Austrian Football League, provided insights into the Austrian eBundesliga, which will start in October. "We talked to the soccer clubs in the fall and decided on the idea of the eBundesliga together. It makes a lot of sense in 2017 to connect the two worlds (gaming and real life). That's why the club events will take place in the individual stadiums and will be played in the jerseys of the respective clubs. "Alexander Müller, Managing Director, SK Gaming, leads one of the largest eSports teams in the world. He adds: "The early-adopter train has long since left the station. Anyone who thinks they are doing something new with an eSports team is mistaken."Drone racing on the riseThis year, the Drone Champions League will bring 140 km/h drones into the air via VR goggles in six events in Europe. The Drone Champions League has a budget worth millions, with well-known sponsors such as Vodafone and Conrad already investing. The development of the new sport is rapid. In 2014, drone racing was still non-existent among the general public, but since 2016, interest has exploded. The teaser video of the Drone Champions League for the upcoming season was watched almost 200,000 times on YouTube alone, 345 TV stations broadcast race highlights of the first ever racing event from Reutte, Austria last year with a total reach of 21 million contacts.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx91iMJ_8WkIn A computer game simulation will be released soon, the best players will qualify for a drone race in real life. For Herbert Weirather, Drone Championship, WWP, the success factors for sponsors are obvious: "Drone racing combines with VR, eSport and drones 3 megatrends of the present. Digital, real and game simulation - for sponsors this means a 360° platform."
More articles on the topic
Zurich Summit 2026: The Rebirth of Storytelling
«We asked around»: Easy to pay, easy to explain
comm.focus Government Communications: Trust in an Age of Disinformation
There is no end to the eSports hype. There is hardly a top European soccer club that is not involved in competitive online gaming. This is reflected in the current "Sponsor Trend 2017" study. It shows that 49% of sponsorship decision-makers (highest value) assume that eSports will continue to gain in importance. The Austrian Congress SPORT & BRAND Daniel Luther, former eSports world champion and project manager, ESB Marketing Netzwerk, presented the latest figures, which illustrated the potential for clubs. For example, eSports attracts 385 million fans worldwide, 50,000 spectators participate in the biggest events, and the top eSports competitions are watched by 35 million viewers per weekend. Due to many identical target group characteristics, more than 40 European soccer clubs are already involved in eSports and want to be present with teams in the eSports circus, including Manchester City, Paris St. Germain, FC Basel or Ajax Amsterdam.Austria follows suitAustria is following suit this year. In this context, Patrick Lenhart, Head of Marketing and PR, Austrian Football League, provided insights into the Austrian eBundesliga, which will start in October. "We talked to the soccer clubs in the fall and decided on the idea of the eBundesliga together. It makes a lot of sense in 2017 to connect the two worlds (gaming and real life). That's why the club events will take place in the individual stadiums and will be played in the jerseys of the respective clubs. "Alexander Müller, Managing Director, SK Gaming, leads one of the largest eSports teams in the world. He adds: "The early-adopter train has long since left the station. Anyone who thinks they are doing something new with an eSports team is mistaken."Drone racing on the riseThis year, the Drone Champions League will bring 140 km/h drones into the air via VR goggles in six events in Europe. The Drone Champions League has a budget worth millions, with well-known sponsors such as Vodafone and Conrad already investing. The development of the new sport is rapid. In 2014, drone racing was still non-existent among the general public, but since 2016, interest has exploded. The teaser video of the Drone Champions League for the upcoming season was watched almost 200,000 times on YouTube alone, 345 TV stations broadcast race highlights of the first ever racing event from Reutte, Austria last year with a total reach of 21 million contacts.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx91iMJ_8WkIn A computer game simulation will be released soon, the best players will qualify for a drone race in real life. For Herbert Weirather, Drone Championship, WWP, the success factors for sponsors are obvious: "Drone racing combines with VR, eSport and drones 3 megatrends of the present. Digital, real and game simulation - for sponsors this means a 360° platform."
