Social distancing is pushing esports into the mainstream. We’ve told you how video games are booming during the pandemic and how it’s impacted young consumers’ media consumption—and esports in particular has been seeing growth. Leagues for Overwatch, League of Legends, games of Blizzard Entertainment, and many others are all pivoting to online-only matches. There’s also an opportunity for traditional sports to take this avenue after the cancellation of live sports events: NASCAR and Fox Sports hosted a eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series featuring stars racing in digital vehicles—the second race drew 1.33 million viewers, making it the highest-rated televised esports program. (Engadget)
