Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), has detailed how a growing and increasingly active fan base, particularly in China, bodes well for the future prospects of the esports industry.
Currently, the 2024 Esports World Cup (EWC), hosted by EWCF and ESL FACEIT Group, is taking place in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. Running from July 3 to Aug25, the multi-game tournament has attracted top gamers from around the world to the city.
In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Reichert noted that the current global scale of the esports industry is growing rapidly, along with the gaming industry as a whole.
"If you talk about the business of esports, you need to look at the business of games first, which is worth 200 billion U.S. dollars and is among the largest entertainment industries, much bigger than music and movies combined. If you look at esports, it's only a fraction of it but is continuously growing. It is only worth two billion U.S. dollars now but growing 20 percent year over year. It's going to have a billion fans soon," said the CEO.
According to Reichert, the ongoing tournament has also excelled in digital viewership, event attendance, and media coverage.
"We have a 60 million U.S. dollars prize pool, which is a huge game changer for the whole industry from a consumer point of view. We have had 177 million hours watched digitally only, which makes it among the largest esports events in the world, hopefully being the largest of all time. Over a million people visited Boulevard where the event is happening. It's really the first time an esports event is going beyond the pure game audience to hit the mainstream audience in viewership, reporting, and attendance," he said.
Reichert also highlighted the importance of the Chinese esports market and expressed optimism for further growth from both sides in the sector.
"If you look at the Chinese market, it's the most important esports market in the world. For the Esports World Cup, the largest viewership comes from China. We've had one winning team from China so far in Honor of Kings. Overall, we are proud that Chinese players are coming to the Kingdom participating, and we are incredibly excited for the future and how we can grow together," said the executive.
EWCF CEO bullish on esports industry prospects, welcomes Chinese participation
Many vibrant activities were held across China on Tuesday to celebrate the 40th Teachers' Day, which falls on Sept. 10, honoring the contributions of teachers to students' personal development and their role in shaping the overall education system.
In Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, landmark buildings were lit up at night with warm wishes, expressing sincere gratitude to teachers.
A school in Bishan District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality held a special ceremony to welcome new teachers, who vowed to abide by the instructors' code and ethics during an oath-taking session.
In Nanchang, capital city of east China's Jiangxi Province, outstanding teachers were commended for their efforts in fostering student development and improving their academic skills.
Students in Lanzhou, capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, showed their gratitude to the teachers' hard work with various forms of performances, including a live drama on stage.
Meanwhile, Majiang County in southwest China's Guizhou Province kicked off an art festival featuring music and dance performances to mark the special day.
In interviews with China Global Television Network (CGTN), people from various professions recalled their fondest school memories, sharing the important roles teachers played in shaping their lives.
"When I was in the second year of high school, my grades dropped. My Chinese teacher encouraged me, saying that 'Even if you're not one of the best, you're still unique.' I've remembered his words till this day," said Yu Kangna who works as a nurse at a hospital in Deqing County of Zhejiang.
"I've always been poor at math, but my math teacher didn't give up on me. He offered me and others extra tutoring and told us to believe in myself. He told us that girls don't necessarily perform poorly in math and we can be as good as boys," said Yue Ziyi, a student at Jimei University in east China's Xiamen.
Others expressed gratitude to their teachers for nurturing them and acting as guardians.
"My most memorable teacher is my head teacher in high school. He treated every student with loads of patience. He believes every one of us is capable of learning," said Wang Chaobo, a worker at the gas production branch of the Daqing Oilfield, one of China's largest oil production bases in the northeastern Heilongjiang Province.
"To Teacher Li, thanks you. Thank you for protecting me when I was young and for making me feel that I was no different from other students. I wish you good health," said Qu Zimo, a badminton player and also a member of the Chinese delegation for the Paris Paralympics.
Over the past decades, China has built the world's largest high-standard education system, covering pre-school, compulsory, senior high, higher education, adult education, and special education.
The country now boasts nearly 19 million full-time teachers, double the number in 1985 when the first Teachers' Day was celebrated.
China celebrates 40th Teachers' Day with vibrant activities
