Gaming as a TV sport
Steve Yi
Grey Group
In Korea, gaming is a popular TV sport with dedicated channels, teams, leagues, superstar players, adoring female fans and multimedia branding opportunities that multinationals have so far largely ignored.
In Korea, Ongamenet, the first cable TV channel devoted solely to online gaming, this year celebrated the tenth anniversary of its Star League, a testament to the longevity and popularity of a TV gaming phenomenon that is now commonly referred to as ‘e-sports'.
The popularity of the single game platform, Starcraft,has swept the nation, first forming private gaming leagues in...