CONTENT TEO Quarterly

Executive Summary. Quick overview of everything in this Q2 6 Business Digest.

01 investments

Introduction to the Blockchain. The most disruptive technological 8 innovation in recent decades makes its way into esports.

Insights on Current ICO Controversies. With every new development 9 promising huge gains, black sheep will find their way into the field...

Cloud Gaming on the Blockchain. Cloud gaming is on the verge of 10 changing the way players access their games entirely.

Investments Stay the Course for Q2. Esports just capped off its second best quarter in terms of disclosed investments in the last 12 four years.

Top 10 Investments of Q2. A streaming platform’s IPO, a veteran game developer, and a gamer chat service led the way for Q2 fund- 13 ing.

Huya’s $180M IPO and the Power of Tencent in the Chinese Stream- ing Market. At a starting price at $15.50, Huya’s stock took the NYSE 14 by storm, in one of the best IPOs the market has seen this year.

Esports Investments Compared by Quarter. Over $427M in capital 15 provided by 75 investors were raised in 35 funding rounds.

Key Financial Reports of Esports Companies. Many esports compa- 16 nies saw a significant financial growth during the quarter.

List of Q2 Esports Investments. 18

List of Q2 Esports Acquisitons. 19

Regional Breakdown. The United States continue to be the most in- 20 volved country, while China provides the second most capital.

The End of Spring: How is the NA LCS 2018 Performing? A guide and summary of the background and first split performance of Riot 21 Games’ top North American league.

From “All Hands on Deck” to Serious Business. Three senior executives from North American esports teams explain the change 24 in organization leadership

02 sponsorships

Non-Endemic Sponsorships Breakdown. Amongst the NBA 2K League, ELEAGUE, and many more, see which competitions are 26 drawing in the most newcomers.

List of the Most Notable Q2 Esports Sponsorships. 28

4 TEO Quarterly Esports Business Digest Q2 2018 TEO Quarterly CONTENT

03 tournaments

Esports Competition Winnings for Q2 2018. Of the $6.4M distribut- 30 ed winnings, $4.5M was awarded in Valve sanctioned Majors.

List of the Top 10 Teams by Esports Winnings in Q2. 31

Dota 2 Reigns as Highest Paying Game. In the lead up to The Inter- 32 national 8 Dota 2 achieved its highest paying non-TI quarter so far.

List of Top 10 Tournaments by Prize Pool. Out of the top 5 highest 33 paying tournaments, only one wasn‘t a Dota 2 event.

Revenue Share Models in Esports. From franchised leagues to team 34 co-owned leagues, there are many ways to foster stability in esports.

Tournaments Regional Breakdown. While Europe, as a continent, 36 hosts the most esports tournaments, the United States plays host to more touraments than any other country.

04 streaming

Ninja - The Rise of a New Media Entertainer. A livestream with 37 musician Drake broke viewerships records, and paved the rise of Ninja as the current speerhead of the platform.

List of Top US Streamers. Ninja accrued more viewership by himself 40 than the top 10 non-US streamers combined.

List of Top Non-US Streamers. French streamer gotoga lead the 41 way with 10.7M hours watched, while German entertainer gronkh achieved the highest average CCV of 21K.

List of Top Twitch Content. Fortnite doubled its hours watched quar- 42 ter-by-quarter, as Counter-Strike is the only game in the list to lose viewership.

The NBA 2K League. The Best Foot Forward Yet for a Sports Sim. 43 Can virtual basketball play ball with shooters and fantasy warfare?

05 social media

Esports Leagues Social Media. The ESL Pro League keeps a strong 46 following, the highest of all esports’ league social accounts.

Still Far Off Traditional Sports Teams. Even the most followed 47 esports organization’s social media accounts have a long way to climb to catch up with traditional sports.

Categories Editorial 3 Content 4 Methodology 50 Authors & Imprint 50 TEO Conference 51

Image Credit: Clément Cellier / PSG eSports Esports Business Digest Q2 2018 TEO Quarterly 5