A new reality TV show looks for Southeast Asia’s top video game players

Daryl Teo, CEO of Spout (L), and Justin Deiman of Aurora Media.

Execration and TNC, both based in the Philippines, qualified for this year’s The International, a global esports tournament where players battle each other in the video game Dota 2.

Think Big Brother meets American Idol!

It’s rare for Southeast Asian teams to make the cut, Daryl Teo says. Professional gaming in the region isn’t as big as it is in countries like China and South Korea, but it can catch up if talent is nurtured, he believes.

With this in mind, Teo’s company, Singapore-based media and events firm Spout360, launched a new project to help kickstart a more vibrant Southeast Asian video gaming culture, he tells Tech in Asia. In part, because he’s passionate about esports, but also because he thinks it’s a business opportunity worth investing in.

The latest project is a 32-part reality TV show. “Think Big Brother meets American Idol,” Teo says.

The show’s goal is to unearth Southeast Asia’s new generation of gaming talent, which will feed into the funnel of Spout’s other interest: digital media, talent management, and events.

A billion-dollar industry

There’s a ton of money in the industry. It’s estimated to be worth US$1.1 billion in 2019 by market research firm Newzoo. (That’s just esports – the entire gaming industry saw US$ 91 billion in revenues last year.)

Fans of professional gaming are extremely engaged and willing to spend, Teo says.

To illustrate this point: The International Dota 2 tournament this year offers prize money of over US$20 million. It’s partly spotted by Valve, the game’s developer, and fans who contributed to the pot in a crowdsourcing campaign.

Last year, a Chinese team won the tournament. According to Newzoo, China and Korea made up for roughly 23 percent of global esports revenues, totaling US$106 million in 2016. Other strong markets are the US and Europe. While Southeast Asia isn’t as relevant yet in the international tournament circuit, the interest is there.

Inside Spout’s esports venue. Photo credit: Spout.

“Audience-wise, the situation is different, with Asia contributing 44 percent of global esports enthusiasts,” says Newzoo’s report. “Growth in this region is, for a large part, fueled by an explosive uptake in Southeast Asia.”

Southeast Asia’s got talent

This supports Teo’s theory that it’s time to identify outstanding players in Southeast Asia and nurture them.

That’s what Spout wants to achieve with its TV show – co-produced with international media production firm Aurora.

The first eight of 32 episodes will be all about Electronic Arts’ FIFA Online football game, while subsequent sets of episodes will focus on other games including Dota.

Winners have the chance to land professional gaming contracts with top teams who play international tournaments.

Spout, in today’s release announcing the show, calls this format a “digital franchise.” Viewers can participate in online voting at certain points, and there’ll be spin-offs such as an accompanying web series for behind-the-scene shots.

Teo says August and September are dedicated to casting, and the first episode is slated to air at the end of October. Where exactly the show can be seen is still to be determined, but Teo is so convinced of the series’ success that he’s already planning for a feature film version, also done in collaboration with Aurora.

Role model for new ideas in media

The TV show, which is financed mainly through product placement sponsorships, complements Spout’s other business units.

Its online properties include the main site Spout360, Vulcan Post, and *Spout Now, a lifestyle-focused site in Myanmar, which are monetized primarily through branded content. Spout also runs an event space in Singapore where it holds its own video game tournaments. And it helps esports celebrities negotiate contracts, for example when they are invited to host events. In the gaming community, professional players can reach celebrity status. Others gather a substantial following through web channels that offer gaming commentary and news.

“It’s not a biz model out of the blue. This has played out profitably elsewhere,” Teo says.

Spout has some competitors in the region, for example Indonesia’s Revival TV, which is also vying for the attention and pockets of gaming enthusiasts.

Indeed, investors predict a bright future for the industry.

Chris Dixon, a partner at Silicon Valley venture firm A16z, praised gaming media for its willingness to experiment and find formats suitable to the internet’s demand. “This has rendered it a leader for new ideas in media models,” he wrote in a blogpost.

Spout’s timing for the show isn’t a coincidence. Esports are about to break into the mainstream in Southeast Asia, making a debut as part of the Asian Games hosted by Indonesia in 2018 – albeit only as a demonstration. If all goes well, esports will be a medal-winning sport at the 2022 Asian Games.

This post A new reality TV show looks for Southeast Asia’s top video game players appeared first on Tech in Asia.

from Tech in Asia https://www.techinasia.com/sput-esports-reality-tv-show
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