Twitch may be the reason esports betting took off after promising total viewership during the start of Call of Duty’s opening weekend. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
CoD is back in its first home
The return of the Call of Duty League (CDL) to the Twitch broadcast platform could be an important factor in the growth of online betting.
The CDL began with 12 teams in 2019. Each site required a $25 million sign-up, and the teams competed in numerous in-person online events, culminating in a multi-million dollar world championship. However, rapid fan participation and viewership was among the many concerns of team owners who were disillusioned with the league.
Twitch helped open its viewership peak over the weekend at around 200,000 concurrent viewers
Despite the early difficulties, the league appeared to be rounding the corner. Switching to Twitch helped open the weekend’s peak viewership at around 200,000 concurrent viewers, compared to just 79,000 for last year’s game.
Twitch to push the betting envelope on esports
The early days of Call of Duty were always broadcasted on Twitch. Despite this, CDL struck an estimated $160 million, three-year deal with YouTube that covered Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Cold War, and Vanguard, and took the game far from its ancient home.
That deal has since expired, which led to the league announcing it was returning to Twitch the day before the first set of matches. Many interested parties have called for a return to Twitch amid the league’s many struggles, including team members and fans alike.
The general flow was instantly rewarded. According to the esports chartsCall of Duty League 2023: Main Stage 1 playoffs peaked at 192,943 viewers thanks to the main stream of the Call of Duty League, as well as other broadcasters like retired pro Zoomaa.
It was the highest viewership for a non-world tournament and the fourth highest overall
The amazing viewership was the highest for a non-World Series and the fourth highest total in league history. This is a great sign, since viewership numbers typically increase for the “majors,” which are LAN-based tournaments, rather than online qualifiers.
Many questions have been raised about Call of Duty’s place in esports. Infrastructure malfunctions within the league and a lack of harmony between players and game developers have caused it to fall behind other games like Warzone, Fortnite and Apex Legends, but now it looks like it could be a driving force in the rise of esports betting.
Understanding the market
The potential of esports betting has been largely untapped in an industry expected to exceed $13 billion by the end of the year. Many sportsbooks have started offering daily fantasy contests, tournament results, and match betting, but there is still serious room for development.
One of the easiest ways to increase participation in gambling is to increase visibility, which is why early returns on Twitch are so promising. Competition also greatly hinders product potential most of the time, so it’s important to understand what’s going on in esports.
Halo, another popular first-person shooter game, recently concluded its season with a World Championship, and it was won by fan favorite OpTic Gaming. Counter-Strike and League of Legends usually attract different audiences, but they both run strong as the two most popular esports around the world.
Another way to get noticed is with a viral moment: Twitch gambling streamer Xposed created him for all the wrong reasons earlier this year by incorrectly betting $450,000 that OpTic Texas would beat the Los Angeles Thieves.
The younger generations who grew up playing video games are finding it hard to get left behind
While esports used to be tough for older audiences, the younger generations who grew up playing video games find it hard to get behind. This is according to Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group, who is helping drive the growth of the market.
“The future bettor is coming, and they’re the players,” Johnson said in an interview. VegasSlotsOnline news.
A lot more will be revealed after the total viewership from Call of Duty’s first LAN event of Modern Warfare II season this week was released. As it is, it looks like the game could be a catalyst for the continued growth of esports betting.
