Monetization in Esports Events in Finland

Abstract

Esports has become a fast-growing industry during the past decade, gathering a growing audi-ence. Esports events are becoming more popular all around the world. This thesis aimed to analyze monetization of esports events and tournaments in Finland, covering such aspects as monetization strategies and why they help to make a successful event. It also aimed to under-stand how those strategies work and how they are applied to events. The study used a qualitative method. Theoretical and empirical research was also used in this work. The theoretical part was made by reviewing literature and using articles from internet to understand what monetization is and how it works on the example of esports events. The empirical part was made by conducting a Google Forms survey for people who visited events in Finland. The results showed the importance of monetization strategies as a business tool. The re-search survey highlighted that monetization strategies used by event organizers are not that visible and annoying to participants, so everything regarding monetization is covered behind the scenes. It also showed new options applied to monetizing events. The research explains the success of monetization strategies and how they might be improved in the future.