Esports: The "Tipping Market"- $129,000,000 in Tips to Streamers Paid in 2017

In 2017, according to Streamlabs and Goldman Sachs research, $129,000,000 was paid to streamers, in the form of discretionary tips, within the U.S.

I have a lot of conversations with people about esports. Many of them are amazed when I mention statistics on viewership, revenue, engagement, etc. However, this statistic on the “tipping market”, usually gets a bit more of a reaction from people.

The “tipping market” is huge and is growing at an astronomical rate. This same research reports indicates that by 2020 that number could grow to $372,000,000. I’ve included a screen shot of the chart, showing these numbers, from that report.

Source: Goldman Sachs Research June 2018

Conclusion: If you have any ability, or creativity and can apply it to creating content on a streaming platform, then you may be missing out if you’re still waiting to take the plunge into that market.

Stephen Hays is a venture capital investor that has invested in a number of esports teams and startups.

Follow Stephen on Twitter Here