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Outcome Uncertainty and ESports Viewership: The Case of Overwatch League

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  • Taeyeon Oh
  • Seomgyun Lee
  • Hayley Jang

Abstract

The uncertainty of outcome hypothesis (UOH) explains the consumption determinants of sports fans in professional sporting events. However, only limited studies exist in the esports field, and the relationship between UOH and spectatorship in esports is still unclear. This study examined the UOH in esports by analyzing the number of viewers of an esports league on an internet-based streaming platform (Twitch). We measured within-game and ex-ante expected game uncertainty and estimated their effects on the number of real-time viewers. The results show that within-game uncertainty significantly impacts the number of viewers, but ex-ante expected game uncertainty did not.

Suggested Citation

  • Taeyeon Oh & Seomgyun Lee & Hayley Jang, 2023. "Outcome Uncertainty and ESports Viewership: The Case of Overwatch League," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 24(8), pages 971-992, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:24:y:2023:i:8:p:971-992
    DOI: 10.1177/15270025231187106
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    esports; online spectator determinants; uncertainty outcome hypothesis; viewership;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L80 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - General
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism

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