Esports Bigwigs ESL and Dreamhack Partner with Nielsen

Nielsen will track esports viewership and statistics for the two industry giants.

According to a press release, ESL and Dreamhack, two large-scale tournament organizers in the esports space, have signed an agreement with Nielsen to provide “comprehensive esport measurement[s]” for their tournaments.

The agreement will further advance research standards in esports and provide greater confidence to brands and properties that are considering making investments in the esports industry

The move makes sense in an esports space where monetization relies heavily on sponsorship involvement, something that the advanced and comprehensive statistics that Nielsen provides can assist in acquiring.

According to the press release, Nielsen will provide statistics for ESL's newly-unveiled ESL Pro Tour.  President and CEO of ESL owner MTG Jørgen Madsen Lindemann had this to say on the partnership:

“This exciting new agreement represents an important step to lowering the threshold for media buyers and sponsors to fully commit their investments to esports, for instance via the introduction of KPI’s like Average Minute Audience (AMA), something that traditional sports have provided for years.”

Image VIA: Nielsen