SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
An overarching ambition of pushing the boundaries of esports entertainment lies at the heart of the latest Bayes Esports development, with the correct usage of data identified as possessing the power to transform the overall experience.
However, the benefits of the group’s Live Match Predictions stretch beyond elevating a fan’s enjoyment, as tournament organisers also stand poised to potentially unlock critical revenue streams.
In conversation with SBC News, Director of Business Development Ahilleas Papantos reveals insights from their recent debut at the IEM Katowice Counter-Strike tournament, as well as how data-driven insights will enhance entertainment and transform the sector.
SBC News: To begin, what lay behind the decision to introduce Bayes Live Match Predictions for broadcast?
Ahilleas Papantos: Esports is notoriously complex, and it’s easy to miss many nuances to the game, especially by those who are not experts. Esports matches can turn on their head with a single move, so simply answering the question, ‘who’s winning right now?’ with clear predictive outcomes helps lower the barrier to entry for fans.
Data has the potential to tell truly powerful stories and reveal the deeper layers of what is happening in real-time. Analytics can explain key moments and build the intensity of a match, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
Our Live Match Predictions offer industry-leading probabilities built on over a decade of data science excellence. It is the only service that uses live data directly from game servers to power probabilities in tournament broadcasts.
Data-driven products have been severely underutilised in esports, which is ironic given the immense amount of available data points. There is a tremendous opportunity to build tools that create unforgettable fan experiences – and at its core, that is exactly what Bayes Esports is doing.
SBCN: How much do you believe the ability to witness such data-backed forecasts will elevate the entertainment experience for viewers?
AP: We have already seen an incredible response to data-backed tools in traditional sports, so we know the huge opportunity it presents. Formula 1, for example, offers various camera angles that put fans in the seat of the car, along with in-depth analytics forecasting tire degradation and fuel consumption.
While watching fast cars is already exciting, this added layer of data enhances the experience, making following a race that much more engaging. It helps retain the audience right to the very end because the data is ever-changing.
Formula 1 has evolved significantly over the last ten years, largely due to how fans can interact with the sport. With the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, bringing together so many game publishers and drawing huge global viewership, it is the perfect time to make these big changes to the esports ecosystem. KSA is hungry for innovation, and it’s amazing the opportunities they’ve created as part of this vision.
While esports is our main focus, we also see huge potential in traditional sports. We have the technical capability, so it will be exciting to see how our partners leverage these tools to drive fan engagement within their own audiences.
SBCN: How will the implementation of Live Match Predictions help tournament organisers drive new revenue streams?
AP: Esports broadcasts typically have limited space for advertising, as any branding must remain unobtrusive to the viewing experience. However, Live Match Predictions provide tournament organisers with a seamless way to integrate branded content into their broadcasts, while simultaneously enhancing the storytelling of each match.
Brands can leverage this creative piece of inventory to showcase their logo or key messages right where fans will see them the most – on screen in a sold-out arena or to millions of viewers at home.
In the case of IEM Katowice, around 1.3 million fans were watching the finals, making it a premium opportunity for sponsors to reach a massive audience. This dynamic approach benefits both advertisers and fans by ensuring that branded placements feel organic and engaging rather than disruptive.
SBCN: The Live Match Predictions have already made their debut at the IEM Katowice Play-In Stage Counter-Strike. What did you witness performance-wise, and what feedback have you subsequently received?
AP: We were thrilled to launch these at IEM Katowice alongside our long-standing partner, ESL FACEIT Group. Having worked together for many years, EFG has continuously trusted us to deliver their official match data to customers worldwide. However, this was the first time they utilised our tools to enhance their own offering.
From a performance standpoint, the implementation was a success! While we only showcased three out of the possible twenty markets for the Counter-Strike tournament, the commercial potential was immediately evident. We have already seen amazing community interaction on the broadcast and interest from third parties in similar endeavors.
SBCN: How do you believe data-driven insights will continue to revolutionise esports broadcasts moving forward?
AP: The future of esports broadcasting lies in standardised, easily accessible data that powers engaging insights across a wide range of game titles and tournaments. Right now, the esports industry is quite fragmented in terms of its data IP, making it challenging to create uniform fan experiences.
Any application built for a specific game title is designed to work only with that game’s data, resulting in siloed systems. This is what we want to change.
By building a data warehouse as the foundational data layer, we will enable the esports ecosystem to develop fan applications using both historical and live match data. This will allow for seamless and scalable solutions across game titles.
Ideally, any broadcast will be able to deliver consistently engaging content for fans. As the industry continues to grow, data-driven insights will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of storytelling, fan engagement, and monetisation.
