eSports makes a deal with Nielsen to measure its audience

An investigation by gaming site Kotaku examined reports that large eSports events, such as the League of Legends World Championship, attract a lot more viewers than traditional sports highlights like the Super Bowl. — AP

The eSports industry, notorious for its lack of reliable streaming viewer figures, is trying to get its act together and provide third-party ratings to make its broadcasts attractive for rights buyers and advertisers.

Companies like Tencent Holdings Ltd’s Riot Games and World of Warcraft’s developer Blizzard have introduced new viewing metrics, and Sweden’s Modern Times Group AB on Sept 26 said it has enlisted Nielsen to provide data on how many people are actually watching their ESL and Dreamhack events.