Data is often a hot topic in esports, whether outlining the vast amounts available in a single game, or the lack of reliable data available on esports consumers worldwide. Many companies have emerged offering data solutions for a range of uses.
One company that is looking to add value to the esports industry through data is YouGov Sport the global sports, sponsorship, and entertainment research company. YouGov Sport will be present at #ESINYC as one of our sponsors and will no doubt have a keen eye on our ‘Data, Data, Data: The Commercial Opportunity‘ roundtable at the event. Ahead of #ESINYC, we spoke with Scott Horowitz, Chief Revenue Officer of YouGov Sport to find out how YouGov want to add value to esports and what sets them apart from others.
Esports Insider: Why do you think events like ESI New York are important?
Scott Horowitz: These events are extremely important to organisations like ours because it allows us to keep our fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in the esports space. These events are gatherings of industry experts we can all learn from and network with. After coming out of an event like this, I feel like we are better informed about the industry and trends within it so we can speak correctly about what the esports space currently looks like and where it’s going. Also, by referencing our attendance at events like this and the education learned, we become a lot more credible.
ESI: How do you see YouGovSport adding value to the esports industry?
SH: The biggest value that we can bring to the esports space is being the most up to date and relevant source of information on consumers. Our daily data collection around the world allows us not to have to wait six months to understand what happened (past tense), however, we can keep on top of what is happening (current) among consumers related to sport, entertainment, and more.
“Having data collection in over 30 countries around the world, all connected, allows us to be the only up to date global data source for what’s happening in stick and ball sports, esports, and more”
ESI: What work have you done previously in esports, and how do you hope to build on this?
SH: Over the past few years, YouGov Sport has worked with several publishers, sponsors, and other rights holders to better understand the esports consumer. This has been so interesting to us since we have traditionally looked at stick and ball sports, so this new category has been fun to dive into and understand.
For me personally, I would like to see us start to publish some thought-leadership around the topic of esports and the consumers. We have so much information and so many insights collecting every day on the topic, that being able to connect the sport to specific brands and really dive into how different esports is than say, basketball or football, is extremely exciting. We just need to let people know we have this information and that it’s available, we believe we will become the go-to source for up to date information on the sport.
ESI: What sets YouGovSport apart from other data providers?
SH: I would say there are two main things that set us apart from others in the space, and there are a lot of people running around now. The first is our data. We are the only provider collecting daily data, publishing it for our subscribers daily, and updating our profiling database on a weekly basis.
Other sources of information on consumers related to sport and entertainment are either bespoke in nature, so collected once or twice, or if syndicated they only updated two times per year. So the first thing I would say that sets us apart is the amount of information we have, and it’s all connected, all over the world.
“YouGov Sport has worked with several publishers, sponsors, and other rights holders to better understand the esports consumer”
The second main point of difference between our peers and us is our level of client servicing and support we provide to our clients. We do not believe in just turning on a subscription and letting our clients lose; we are very hands-on and supportive along their business journey.
Everyone is time-poor which is why we decided to invest in a support model first above anything else. This means on-site visits for workshops, monthly check-ins, and help with the heavy lifting when major projects come up. Our clients appreciate our support and help and consider us to be partners in their business more than vendors.
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