In a world driven by digital experiences, the opportunity to get out and spend time with friends has become increasingly valuable. This is one of the key strengths of traditional sports. At the same time, esports seems to offer even more ways to sustain communities through content creators, livestreams, and global engagement.
What can these two worlds learn from each other? How do they compete for audience attention today – and are they only competing with each other? In this article, I explore these questions based on data and recent industry trends.
Traditional sports generate a significant share of their income on-site
Think about what a well-run Formula 1 weekend in Qatar delivers. There is a sense of place at Lusail, specific and increasingly associated with major international sport. There are rituals such as qualifying day, race day, fan zones, hospitality, and entertainment, all built around the main event. There are tiered experiences, from general admission to premium hospitality. The sponsor’s presence is integrated into the physical experience. And there is a local identity: this is not just another race but a major sporting weekend that brings people together at one destination.
A sense of community and an opportunity to go out with friends are what people love about traditional sports. And this is what essentially generates revenue. A significant share of income is earned on-site – through VIP experiences, hospitality, and sponsorship activations.
According to our GCC data, motorsport events such as Formula 1 have some of the highest average order values across all categories on our platform. Esports events rarely reach these levels.
Esports win on engagement
Esports in the Gulf have very little of this yet. Most events feel portable as they could happen in any convention centre in any city. Local loyalty barely exists because there are no home teams, no home venues, no seasonal rhythm. That’s a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity. Saudi Arabia’s investments through the Saudi Esports Authority and events like Gamers8 are trying to build this kind of physical presence.
Although esports hasn’t fully solved the physical presence problem yet, they have mastered digital engagement, which is one of their key strengths. In traditional sport, engagement tends to exist from one event to the next, with little or nothing in between. Esports are nothing like this.
I’ll give you an example. A fan of a Valorant team watches their favourite streamer practice, joins a Discord server, participates in community tournaments, creates content – all between the major tournaments. By the time the live event happens, the fan isn’t being reacquired. They’re already there, invested, and ready to buy.
Traditional sports in the Gulf are starting to recognise this. The Esports World Cup in Riyadh grew to $71.5 million in prize money and over 3 million visitors in 2025 – and that wasn’t achieved through tournaments alone. The key reason is that the event was wrapped in a festival experience: live music, retro gaming arcades, anime cafés, cosplay competitions, and creator studios.
Sport as an entertainment product
Sports organisations should look more towards this entertainment-show format – it works. However, many football clubs, cricket leagues, and motorsport organisations still treat the off-season as a “dead” period for marketing. But that’s a missed opportunity. Our data shows that.
When we look at purchasing behaviour, the audience doesn’t segment itself the way the industry does. A fan who buys a Premier League ticket in February buys a concert ticket in March and a comedy show in April. They’re not “sports fans” or “music fans.” They’re people choosing how to spend their Saturday night.
Our survey data support this. When we asked audiences what they plan to do over a long weekend, they selected across categories:
- 63 per cent want a staycation,
- 47 per cent want a beach day,
- 42 per cent want attractions,
- 38 per cent want concerts,
- 20 per cent want comedy.
These aren’t separate audiences. It’s the same person building a composite weekend. Research from GWI shows that 53 per cent of sports fans now prioritise experiences over possessions. They’re not choosing between ‘sport’ and ‘entertainment,’ they’re choosing the best option available that weekend. The Savannah Bananas in the US have built an entire franchise around this insight, mixing baseball with choreography, comedy, and live performance. They’re drawing over 3 million fans, touring 75 stadiums, and now streaming on Disney+. That’s not a sports product. It’s an entertainment product that happens to include sport. The Gulf is heading in exactly the same direction.
One more thing is distribution. More than 70 per cent of ticket purchases happen on mobile devices. People these days rarely search for events themselves. They scroll Instagram, see a friend’s story from a match, and decide to go within 48 hours. In the UAE, where digital discovery is the dominant path to ticket purchase, companies should mix advertising channels.
Why end-to-end experiences matters
The key insight I’ve drawn from recent industry trends is that sport and esports are now essentially on the same side of the battle for attention, competing with all other possible experiences. There’s a lot they can learn from each other. Esports are from physical entertainment, and traditional sports are from always-on, continuous engagement.
The main lesson is the need to build a broader, more holistic audience experience. Look at successful global examples such as the FIFA World Cup 2026 Fan Festivals happening across the US right now. Each one is built like a “mini-stadium,” with LED screens, live music stages, cultural programming, food vendors, and hospitality tiers. That’s not just a sports viewing experience. That’s a festival format borrowed from entertainment.
By Cosmin Ivan, CEO at Platinumlist.
