Sports and e-sports have both grown in popularity in recent years, and it has become a point of contention as to which has a larger viewership. Traditional sports like football, basketball, and tennis have existed for centuries, whereas e-sports, a type of competitive video gaming, is a relatively new phenomenon. In this post, we will look at the highest levels of viewership in each sport, the most popular sports, and future trends.

Highest Levels of Audience

The FIFA World Cup, the Olympics, and the Super Bowl attract the largest audiences in traditional sports. The FIFA World Cup, which is held every four years, is watched by an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide. The Olympics, which are held every four years, are watched by an estimated 3.6 billion people worldwide. The Super Bowl, the National Football League’s (NFL) annual championship game, gets an estimated 100 million viewers in the United States alone.

The League of Legends World Championship, the International Dota 2 Championship, and the Fortnite World Cup, on the other hand, have the highest levels of audience in e-sports. The annual League of Legends World Championship attracted an estimated 3.8 million peak viewers in 2020. The annual International Dota 2 Championship had an estimated 1.9 million peak viewers in 2019. The Fortnite World Cup in 2019 attracted an estimated 2.3 million peak views.

Favourite Sports

Football, basketball, and tennis are the most popular sports in the world, not just in terms of total audience, but also in terms of sports betting. According to Nielsen Sports, football is the most popular sport in the world, with an estimated 4 billion fans. Basketball ranks second, with an estimated 450 million supporters worldwide. Tennis is the third most popular sport, with an estimated 1 billion spectators worldwide.

According to the website activeplayer.io, Fortnite is the most popular e-sport game, with an estimated 233 million monthly active players. Roblox is the runner-up, with an estimated 210 million monthly active users. League of Legends is the third most popular game, with an estimated 153 million monthly active players.

Tendencies for the Future

Traditional sports have existed for generations, and their popularity has only grown. E-sports, on the other hand, is a relatively new phenomena, with its popularity skyrocketing in recent years. The worldwide e-sports market is estimated to reach $1.08 billion in 2021, up from $947.1 million in 2020, according to a Newzoo analysis. According to the estimate, the global e-sports audience will reach 474 million by 2021, up from 435 million in 2020.

Traditional sports, on the other hand, have had significant difficulties in recent years. Many sporting events have been cancelled, postponed, or held without spectators due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Furthermore, several sports, such as the NFL and the NBA, have seen a drop in TV ratings, which has been attributed to issues such as social justice protests and competition from other types of entertainment.

To summarize, while traditional sports continue to have a bigger total viewership, e-sports is fast gaining popularity, particularly among younger people. As technology advances and e-sports becomes more widespread, it is expected that its popularity will expand and it will eventually match traditional sports in terms of audience numbers.

 

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