Esports president urges paid perks while keeping core streams free

EFG Esports President Sebastian Weishaar warned that the industry’s free-to-watch model limits media-rights revenue and urged the development of optional paid perks while keeping core live broadcasts free.

Weishaar pointed to a structural gap between esports and traditional sports, noting that broadcast and streaming rights can represent roughly 75% of revenue in established sports. In esports, most matches are available at no cost on major streaming platforms and deliver little broadcast income.

He cautioned that putting events behind a hard paywall would risk alienating audiences who expect free access. Instead, he proposed optional paid extras priced at a few euros per month, such as enhanced viewing features, behind-the-scenes content or ad-free streams, while retaining free access to main event feeds.

Bertrand Amar, founder of tournament organiser N.E.O., described the current funding picture for events and clubs. Organisers and teams rely heavily on sponsorships and partnership deals. Ticket sales are a small revenue source for many competitions because a large share of events remain online rather than in front of paying crowds. Media rights currently make up only a small portion of revenue because many tournaments are streamed for free.

Several recent commercial agreements with streaming and entertainment platforms have granted exclusive or regional rights for particular competitions. Those deals are smaller and more fragmented than single global packages common in traditional sports but represent steps to paid distribution.

The Esports World Cup has sold media rights by territory, language and format. For example, a national broadcaster airs a daily highlights show, a production company holds live rights for some French-language feeds, and a Korean streaming partner has exclusive Korean-language rights across multiple titles. Organisers say splitting packages helps attract paying platforms in different markets.

Executives from teams, organisers and rights buyers are scheduled to discuss media-rights models and revenue at the Esports Leaders gathering during the closing days of the Esports World Cup. Background conditions-widespread free streaming, heavy reliance on sponsorships and frequent online-only events-remain factors that parties must address in future negotiations.