Research questions: To tackle the idiosyncrasies associated with esports online spectatorship, the study was designed to: (a) develop the Motivation Scale of Esports Spectatorship (MSES) and (b) identify what motivates people to watch esports in an online environment. Research methods: In phase 1 of the study, qualitative data were collected from 8 semi-structured interviews and online open-ended surveys (n = 207). Phase 2 implemented a series of quantitative components to test the motives identified in phase 1 and develop the MSES on two samples of esports online spectators. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 671), confirmatory factor analysis (n = 638), and structural equation modeling analysis (n = 638) were performed to validate the MSES. Results and findings: Skill improvement and vicarious sensation were the unique motives that emerged in the esports context. Distinct perspectives were found regarding skill appreciation and socialization opportunity. Friends bonding, competition excitement, competitive nature, entertaining nature, dramatic nature, and game knowledge were found to mirror the motives of traditional sport consumers. Implications: The study made an initial attempt to provide insights for scholars and practitioners to understand the fast-growing esports consumer market. This study contributes to a growing body of sport spectatorship literature by being one of the pioneering esports studies to investigate how the integration of interactive and immersive experiences (e.g. first-person view, chat room, and personality streams) impact esports spectators’ motivation and behaviors.

This study explored and evaluated the dimensions and consequences of esports online spectator demand. In doing so, we identified preliminary dimensions of esports online spectator demand based on semistructured interviews and online open-ended surveys. Findings resulted from the qualitative study were adopted as the foundation to develop the Scale for Esports Spectator Demand (SESD). To validate the SESD and assess the impact of the SESD factors on consumers’ cognitive and behavioral outcomes, a sample of esports online spectators ( N = 1,309) responded to a survey containing the SESD, which was randomly split into two halves, with one half for an exploratory factor analysis and the other half for a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling analyses. A total of 32 items under eight SESD factors were confirmed. While demand factors including commentary features, player characteristics, event attractiveness, and schedule convenience have been found in traditional sport contexts, chat room, streamer traits, stream quality, and virtual rewards appeared to be unique in esports. All eight SESD factors, excluding schedule convenience, were significantly predictive of one or more of the outcomes associated with esports consumption.

This study examines esports fans’ psychological processes and pertinent behaviors through the lens of the self-determination theory (SDT). The extent to which the esports fans’ basic psychological needs—that is, competence, autonomy, and relatedness—are satisfied were assessed by using a composite latent variable model. Findings derived from the data analyses confirmed the relevance of the SDT in explaining pertinent information on need satisfaction, motivation, and related consumption behaviors. In particular, relatedness was identified as the most salient basic psychological need dimension, suggesting that satisfying this need is critically important for esports consumption. Both the inquiry protocol and the findings of this investigation contribute to the existing literature on motivation by developing an SDT model in esports media studies. Further discussions were made on deciphering the opportunities and challenges associated with the burgeoning esports industry.

An emerging form of social media service – livestreaming – has been increasingly adopted by sports organizations to foster fan engagement. The National Football League (NFL) is no exception to this trend as it collaborates with Twitch, one of the most popular livestreaming platforms, to broadcast Thursday Night Football (TNF). By leveraging Twitch’s video game personalities (streamers), the new format of sports livestreaming, also known as co-streaming, allows the co-creation of TNF experience characterized by personalized commentary and ample socialization opportunities. Given the novel partnership, the current study drew from service-dominant logic (S-D logic) to examine the relationships among co-streamer expertise, co-streamer identification, co-streaming fit, virtual interactions, and continuous watching intentions. Results obtained from an empirical study on 2019 TNF co-streaming showed that both co-streaming fit and virtual interactions positively impacted continuous watching intentions. More importantly, co-streaming fit mediated the effects of co-streamer expertise and viewer identification on behavioral proclivities. Among highly identified viewers, co-streamer expertise had a greater impact on co-streaming fit. Findings gleaned from this study broadened the applicability of S-D logic and advanced the understanding of value co-creation in sports livestreaming.

Shifting from a player-oriented approach, e-sports has increasingly positioned itself as emerging spectator entertainment. In the wake of the growing online viewer market, the industry has made tremendous efforts to innovate marketing strategies and build up a base of passionate fans across the globe. To augment this endeavor, the current study investigated push and pull factors that influence e-sports online viewers’ consumption behaviors (N = 1,309) using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The authors proposed a new way to operationalize push and pull factors that have been relatively overlooked in the literature. The findings indicated that, while push and pull factors had different effects on e-sports consumption behaviors, they should be considered equally important in e-sports livestreaming. The study expanded our understanding of the attractiveness and desirability of e-sports and shed some critical light on management and marketing issues within and beyond the e-sports space.

Although the concept of market demand has been extensively examined in the literature, most scholarly efforts have been devoted to understanding men’s spectator sports. There is scant research that investigates market demand for women’s spectator sports with a focus on gender dynamics. This study sought to fill that gap through developing a formative–formative hierarchical component model of core and peripheral market demand for a women’s professional tennis event (the Wuhan Open) and examining their differing impacts on future attendance intentions based on gender. Results derived from the importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) indicated that the most important core market demand components were player quality and economic consideration. However, only women considered game schedule important, while only men deemed venue characteristics and peripheral services important. Our study highlights the necessity and merits of deciphering market demand for women’s spectator sports in a more nuanced manner and contributes to the growing marketing literature on women’s sports fandom. Managerially, we offer practical implications per the IPMA for more effective and efficient integration of marketing initiatives.