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Musings on the sponsorship situation in Korea - Page 8

Blogs > TotalBiscuit
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Diamond
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
United States10796 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-08-29 00:08:57
August 29 2012 00:02 GMT
#141
On August 29 2012 08:54 GhandiEAGLE wrote:
I think another huge gateway into sponsors are maps. Making maps with sponsor decals that don't change the gameplay could be huge. For instance, since GSL has plenty of time to prepare for each round, they could customize the maps for each match to display the sponsors for both player's teams.


Yeah maybe tournaments should pay for maps and/or stop stripping map team loading screen off first before we even go down that road.
Ballistix Gaming Global Gaming/Esports Marketing Manager - twitter.com/esvdiamond
gilden
Profile Joined March 2011
18 Posts
August 29 2012 00:17 GMT
#142
TB Is the hero we deserve...
zeroxx
Profile Joined August 2012
3 Posts
August 29 2012 00:33 GMT
#143

[/QUOTE]

This right here!
I'm an EG fan, why can't i buy from EG their logo to proudly display my support in game? Someone make this happen![/QUOTE]

Yes, TB- why not contact blizzard about the current situation of the Korean teams,
Have blizzard make a special 'logo' shop for teams on bnet that all players can buy for like 5$ (can be displayed via a small hologram display near cc like on some maps or on the building itself) and blizz take 30% (gives them SOME incentive to programme) and the other 70% to the authorized teams.

I think sale #s alone from this could help convince their sponsors that they're getting international recognition and continued sponsorships are worth it.


Keep up the good work TB
teddyoojo
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
Germany22369 Posts
August 29 2012 00:36 GMT
#144
On August 29 2012 09:17 gilden wrote:
TB Is the hero we deserve...

thats harsh..
you're great TB, i just wish more "famous" people would be more involved into esports. i mean, you dont even need esports/sc2 at all to survive, yet you do so much for it..
Esports historian since 2000. Creator of 'The Universe' and 'The best scrambled Eggs 2013'. Host of 'Star Wars Marathon 2015'. Thinker of 'teddyoojo's Thoughts'. Earths and Moons leading CS:GO expert. Lord of the Rings.
gilden
Profile Joined March 2011
18 Posts
August 29 2012 00:48 GMT
#145
On August 29 2012 09:36 teddyoojo wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 09:17 gilden wrote:
TB Is the hero we deserve...

thats harsh..
you're great TB, i just wish more "famous" people would be more involved into esports. i mean, you dont even need esports/sc2 at all to survive, yet you do so much for it..



Totally did not mean to be harsh. I love everything that Total Biscuit does for the community. He really is great.
Kharnage
Profile Joined September 2011
Australia920 Posts
August 29 2012 00:54 GMT
#146
On August 29 2012 09:48 gilden wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 09:36 teddyoojo wrote:
On August 29 2012 09:17 gilden wrote:
TB Is the hero we deserve...

thats harsh..
you're great TB, i just wish more "famous" people would be more involved into esports. i mean, you dont even need esports/sc2 at all to survive, yet you do so much for it..



Totally did not mean to be harsh. I love everything that Total Biscuit does for the community. He really is great.


Really want to see TB in a batman outfit now

Total Batman!
Dumboprime
Profile Joined March 2011
985 Posts
August 29 2012 00:56 GMT
#147
good read, especially as i read it all in your voice. good cause too!
BobStaMan
Profile Joined September 2010
United States29 Posts
August 29 2012 01:00 GMT
#148
TotalBiscuit, you are quite the gentleman.
You get pissed off sometimes, but that keeps you human. You are a genuine human being and you deserve so much man.

I'm surprised this hasn't been seriously discussed before. The sponsorships for the players/teams is everything with esports. The games will be good, there will be drama, the suspense will be great. We need these players to be comfortable while playing the game. That means not worrying about the money, where they are going to stay next, if they are going to have to find a job next week, and worry about the games at hand.

There needs to be some financial model that will sustain these players, and potentially for part of their futures as well.

This isn't professional sports, there aren't billions in this industry. That doesn't mean we can leave a high amount of players that have dedicated a great deal of their life to this game and to the success of it, out to dry. There needs to be some kind of stability within the players. The teams tend to take this upon themselves but we need to actually oversee that things are going correctly.

My opinion: We need more sponsors, we need sponsors to know they are getting ROI. They need to feel confident in their investment and be willing to make several more. Sponsors are what allow professional sports to succeed. They have the fans, but they also have every inch of the stadium covered with advertisements.

All tournaments will have their sponsors, they can plug them all day long.
Before each series of games, both players should have their respected sponsors shown/plugged.
(Maybe have the player, have a 20 second video, Name/Race/Age/Location/Sponsors before each series)
Have the game screen, and implement a way to actually show the sponsors for the tournament and players.
Even if players don't do as well as they hoped, their brand is being shown. The better they do, of course, the more exposure.

More emphasis on sponsors, they really do allow this sport to succeed.

<3 TotalBiscuit, keep it up bro.
teddyoojo
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
Germany22369 Posts
August 29 2012 01:00 GMT
#149
On August 29 2012 09:48 gilden wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 09:36 teddyoojo wrote:
On August 29 2012 09:17 gilden wrote:
TB Is the hero we deserve...

thats harsh..
you're great TB, i just wish more "famous" people would be more involved into esports. i mean, you dont even need esports/sc2 at all to survive, yet you do so much for it..



Totally did not mean to be harsh. I love everything that Total Biscuit does for the community. He really is great.

i was just kidding, because frankly i feel its more like "tb's the hero we need, not the one we deserve"
Esports historian since 2000. Creator of 'The Universe' and 'The best scrambled Eggs 2013'. Host of 'Star Wars Marathon 2015'. Thinker of 'teddyoojo's Thoughts'. Earths and Moons leading CS:GO expert. Lord of the Rings.
Adersick
Profile Joined July 2011
United States216 Posts
August 29 2012 01:08 GMT
#150
It's awesome to see Shoutcraft take a stand to make online tournaments a bit more viable. I'll state the obligatory, "if only Blizz would implement... blah blah", but this community isn't excellent because it complains, it is excellent because of people like TB who are creative and intelligent enough to do something about it themselves!

Fantastic write-up, I look forward to Shoutcraft (and hopefully more online tournaments) in the future. Stay deliciously classy, TB!
puzzl
Profile Joined October 2010
United States263 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-08-29 01:15:00
August 29 2012 01:14 GMT
#151
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:
All future SHOUTcraft tournaments and showmatches will feature the teams sponsors somewhere in the tournament overlay itself.


Ah right, should have known this was just going to be a bit of self-promotion.

I bet tournament sponsors are going to love it when team sponsors that aren't even paying the tournament are getting as much coverage as the actual sponsor.
sevia
Profile Joined May 2010
United States954 Posts
August 29 2012 01:25 GMT
#152
The whole situation in Korea has me very worried.

I mean, what the hell can we actually do to keep their SC2 scene alive? The foreign scene seems to be growing, but the numbers just aren't there in Korea. Their scene in general seems so passive and willing to let itself die. If numerous 'informed' posts are to be believed, even BW was slowly declining before the release of SC2, due to a variety of reasons.

I really hope that TotalBiscuit's initiative has some effect. Otherwise, we're basically gambling on either HotS being a smashing success, or being able to cannibalize what's left of the BW fanbase by stealing their players. I'm not too hopeful that either of those will work.
최지성 Bomber || 김동환 viOLet || 고병재 GuMiho
KadaverBB
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Germany25657 Posts
August 29 2012 01:32 GMT
#153
On August 29 2012 10:14 puzzl wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:
All future SHOUTcraft tournaments and showmatches will feature the teams sponsors somewhere in the tournament overlay itself.


Ah right, should have known this was just going to be a bit of self-promotion.

I bet tournament sponsors are going to love it when team sponsors that aren't even paying the tournament are getting as much coverage as the actual sponsor.


Since the tournament sponsor is TB himself (or it is donation money, I actually can not remember right now) I do not think it will be a huge problem...


Good initiative TotalBiscuit, i like it
AdministratorLaws change depending on who's making them, but justice is justice
TotalBiscuit
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United Kingdom5437 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-08-29 01:49:13
August 29 2012 01:44 GMT
#154
On August 29 2012 10:14 puzzl wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:
All future SHOUTcraft tournaments and showmatches will feature the teams sponsors somewhere in the tournament overlay itself.


Ah right, should have known this was just going to be a bit of self-promotion.


Oh you have uncovered my evil ways. Truly, you are a master detective and should apply your knowledge elsewhere. Far elsewhere

I bet tournament sponsors are going to love it when team sponsors that aren't even paying the tournament are getting as much coverage as the actual sponsor.


Now to the serious bit, you don't seem to know anything about how tournaments are organized or sponsored. A problem when trying to discuss the topic.

If you seriously think that a small logo as part of the scoreboard is anywhere CLOSE to the exposure you get from sponsoring a tournament then I don't know what to tell you other than "you are dead wrong". Actual tournament sponsors get far more than that. Large banner overlays PERMANENTLY on the screen, instead of just tiny logos there only while specific players are playing. Full-length stream-run ads which cannot be adblocked since they are being played directly by the streamer themselves. "As brought to you/sponsored by" brand recognition messages given by the casters at regular intervals. Giveaways and other promotions. All of this is what you get from sponsoring an actual tournament. Showing the sponsors of teams in online tournaments is the equivalent to allowing teams to show sponsors on their jerseys.

I don't mind criticism of my ideas, that's a great way to ensure they're air-tight and find room for improvement, I just hate dumb, lazy criticism that isn't properly thought through.
CommentatorHost of SHOUTcraft Clan Wars- http://www.mlg.tv/shoutcraft
PacketOfCrisps
Profile Joined August 2012
Canada4 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-08-29 01:51:04
August 29 2012 01:49 GMT
#155
On August 29 2012 10:14 puzzl wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:
All future SHOUTcraft tournaments and showmatches will feature the teams sponsors somewhere in the tournament overlay itself.


Ah right, should have known this was just going to be a bit of self-promotion.

I bet tournament sponsors are going to love it when team sponsors that aren't even paying the tournament are getting as much coverage as the actual sponsor.


You mean like every other sport out there? Sponsors of golf tournaments don't have a problem with the players wearing their own sponsored clothing. Take soccer and, specifically, the Barclay's Premier League. They sponsor the league but each team is still allowed their own sponsors to be shown in the stadium and on their shirt. You could go on and on listing different sports that allow for this. You could possibly allow for the naming rights of tournaments to be sold if they are having difficulty finding a sponsor. I don't really see how what your saying would actually be an issue, to be honest.
Kharnage
Profile Joined September 2011
Australia920 Posts
August 29 2012 02:12 GMT
#156
On August 29 2012 10:32 KadaverBB wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 10:14 puzzl wrote:
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:
All future SHOUTcraft tournaments and showmatches will feature the teams sponsors somewhere in the tournament overlay itself.


Ah right, should have known this was just going to be a bit of self-promotion.

I bet tournament sponsors are going to love it when team sponsors that aren't even paying the tournament are getting as much coverage as the actual sponsor.


Since the tournament sponsor is TB himself (or it is donation money, I actually can not remember right now) I do not think it will be a huge problem...


Good initiative TotalBiscuit, i like it


It's my understanding that the first SCI was funded by 1 month TB stream revenue and from then on it's been funded by the stream revenue of the previous SCI.

ROFL at the idea of TB getting pissed off at himself for his own idea. Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!
Shady Sands
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States4021 Posts
August 29 2012 02:15 GMT
#157
On August 29 2012 10:49 PacketOfCrisps wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 10:14 puzzl wrote:
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:
All future SHOUTcraft tournaments and showmatches will feature the teams sponsors somewhere in the tournament overlay itself.


Ah right, should have known this was just going to be a bit of self-promotion.

I bet tournament sponsors are going to love it when team sponsors that aren't even paying the tournament are getting as much coverage as the actual sponsor.


You mean like every other sport out there? Sponsors of golf tournaments don't have a problem with the players wearing their own sponsored clothing. Take soccer and, specifically, the Barclay's Premier League. They sponsor the league but each team is still allowed their own sponsors to be shown in the stadium and on their shirt. You could go on and on listing different sports that allow for this. You could possibly allow for the naming rights of tournaments to be sold if they are having difficulty finding a sponsor. I don't really see how what your saying would actually be an issue, to be honest.


The comparison with golf is quite apt, as both are events watched by pre-filtered subsets of the general population. The trouble is with golf, it's mostly middle-aged wealthy men who watch it = highly valuable demographic--while for eSports, it's not. Hence going down that route for eSports is probably not as productive.

Would be much better if eSports went for a mass-broadcast revenue model, where they just tried to promote to the widest audience possible. But how, though? What's the go-to plan for traction?
Что?
FXOBoSs
Profile Joined August 2011
337 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-08-29 05:25:22
August 29 2012 02:44 GMT
#158
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Hi folks,

Over the last couple of days I've had the chance to speak to several Korean players a great deal about the situation in Korea and was surprised to hear a couple of things.

1) The sponsorship situation in Korea is worse than I thought and the only team that is really well sponsored right now is LG-IM (none of them mentioned FXO though I assume they are doing well too atm)

2) The online tournament scene in Korea is essentially non-existent.

So why are these two facts relevant and is there a link?

Startale recently announced that it would shut down it's League of Legends team due to limited funds and focus entirely on it's SC2 division. Good news for SC2 fans of course and no doubt much cheering and jeering occurred, however it reveals a deep-seated problem. If a team as successful as Startale, who has within it's ranks so much success, cannot maintain it's League of Legends team due to lack of funds, then what on earth is going on over there in terms of sponsorship?

From what the Korean players I have spoken to tell me, things are rather grim right now. LG-IM is stable thanks in no small part to the huge LG sponsorship, by far the biggest in the Korean scene so far. Needless to say it helps that they have arguably the best stable in the world right now. Other teams are merely getting by. You've heard the stories about unsalaried players, well there are plenty of them. Even cutting corners like that, Korean teams are struggling to send anyone but an absolute safe bet over to tournaments like MLG and IPL, even more so to European events where the competition is tougher and the travel more expensive. If you don't nab one of those qualification spots with costs included, then you're going to have a bad time.

Why is the sponsorship situation so difficult? Well unlike SC1, teams are in an awkward spot when it comes to sponsorship ROI. ROI = Return on Investment, you want to at least break even on the value you get out based on the value you put in. If you have a product to sell, ROI could be as simple as selling X more units because of your sponsorship. More often than not though it's much trickier than that, it's hard to directly prove ROI. If I see LG's logo on Nestea's shirt and then go and buy an LG television, how does LG know the cause? Some companies gather data via referral links though that is clearly not relevant in most cases. Others allow you to tell them as you "check out" where you found out about them, but that only really applies if you're buying direct. If I buy an LG TV from Amazon, how on earth can I possibly let LG know that it's because of Nestea? Short answer is, I cannot. As a result, sponsorship ROI often has to be a lot higher than you might think, because you can't accurately track it.

None of that explains the Korean situation though. The problem is multi-faceted. Sponsors want ROI. They want to raise brand awareness and sell units in the demographic of SC2 viewers. However, S.Korea is not actually that big a country with an estimated population of 50 million. The UK is currently sitting closer to 70 million. To make matters worse, SC2 is not actually that popular in Korea right now. It isn't pulling in the numbers SC1 did. As a result, trying to raise brand awareness in the Korean market using SC2 team sponsorship is actually very difficult, the ROI is low. But fear not, for there is one country where advertising is king and ROI is huge! That's right, the United States of America. One of the reasons that Koreans want to come to MLG besides the large prize-pool and good shot at winning it, is the sponsorship exposure. When teams can afford it, they'll send players to MLG because it stands as one of the highest viewed SC2 events alongside IPL and Dreamhack. MLG is also very reliable when it comes to showing sponsorship logos in stage matches with high definition cameras, solid camera work and plenty of booth shots, not to mention the constant presence of player cams during matches. If you get on stage at MLG, your sponsors are happy.

However, constantly flying out to foreign events is not only expensive but can also negatively affect the players. Jetlag, sickness from airtravel, fatigue and of course a lack of practice time all take their toll. Smaller teams cannot afford to send many if any players to large foreign events unless they are able to qualify and get their ticket paid for by the event itself. What a nasty catch-22. Can't afford to send players to foreign events because of lack of sponsorship money, lack of sponsorship money because players aren't being seen at events.

Alright, now why did I mention online tournaments? I asked the Koreans how many there were and the answer? 1. 1 regular event. There have been a handful of attempts but aside from the Korean weekly, that's really about it. I asked if Korean players disliked online events and they said no, actually they enjoy them and want more. It's a chance to win some money, gain some exposure, but not have to travel to the other side of the planet to do it. It's low-risk high-reward for them and also the reason some try to compete in foreign online tournaments though as the skill level of SC2 continues to rise, cross-server player becomes less and less viable and cross-server results less and less important. Right now online tournaments also suffer from another problem, lack of sponsorship ROI. Sure, if you win a big online event, your team will get recognition, but it's not even close to being as effective as that logo on a shirt in 1080p on a big stage with cheering fans. Some teams, realizing this, have taken matters into their own hands with so-called "title sponsorship". This involves placing the sponsor in the user ID of the player. EG is a recent example of this with Raidcall, as are Fnatic. Mousesports also do it with Card Coaches. It's smart but not necessarily effective. Neither of these brands are well known for their acronym. You put LG in IM's name and you know what it is, you put RC or CC and explanation is required. This ambiguity can work in the favor of a sponsor since curious viewers will go and look for information on what these sponsors do, but it also tosses an element of unreliability into the mix.

Is it possible to create an online tournament that provides sponsorship ROI and could that help the situation in Korea?


Online tournaments are primarily watched by Americans, at least according to the analytics from my Twitch and Youtube channels. This is a good thing, sponsors like the American demographic and it opens up a lot of sponsorship options due to the sheer number of products available in such a large and wealthy country. Sponsoring an online tournament makes good business sense, chances are your ROI is gonna be great assuming the tournament is at least marginally successful in terms of views. But what of the players? I've mentioned this before in a previous blog post but no SC2 tournament has tried to do it. My opinion was vindicated by an unlikely party.

http://esportsbusiness.com/valve-show-developers-how-to-support-esports-with-dota-2/

Valve understands the problem and implemented an in-game solution in the form of in-game branding. Super smart and considering Valve's history of ineptitude when it comes to eSports, quite the surprise. SC2 has no such system and there's no sign of it coming in either. Sad thing is Blizzard could pull it off, they already have a logo-decal system in the game. If you see MMA play on his European account he clearly has a Blizzcon logo and it looks good. Blizzard could implement a system which would allow authorized teams to display sponsorship logos on command structures for instance. However this probably will not happen so who is responsible for the promotion of sponsors?

Teams can only do so much. How on earth do you promote your sponsors during an online event without having a title sponsor? There is no stage, no cameras, no live audience, your jersey is irrelevant and you might as well be wearing it on your head. Quite frankly, I think this responsibility needs to start falling to tournament organizers. If you broadcast a tournament you have the ability to display sponsorship information in your overlay. The scoreboard would be an ideal place to do so, as would winner splash-screens. I particularly like the idea of displaying the sponsors if the player wins, it just makes sense in a competitive eSport. Win and make your sponsors happy!

Someone needs to step forward and do this so it might as well be me. All future SHOUTcraft tournaments and showmatches will feature the teams sponsors somewhere in the tournament overlay itself.

This all comes back around to the original topic, the sponsorship situation in Korea. It occurs to me that SCI has been focused in the wrong place. While foreigners frequently struggle to get results against Korean players, they are more often than not well-sponsored and at least get paid a nominal amount. Many Korean players don't get paid a thing and their teams struggle to find sponsorship. What Korean team has the number of sponsors that EG is sporting right now? Short answer, none of them do. As a result until the forseeable future I will be looking to focus SCI events and funding on Korea. I wish to create regular online events for Korean players to participate in and give their sponsors reliable exposure and ROI in Europe and America. I want to give Korean teams the opportunity not just to win money but actually build stability via the acquisition of new sponsors. I am hoping that SCI events in Korea will be a small step towards allowing that to happen. I will also look to find corporate sponsorship to fund additional Korean online events.

In the meantime, I would urge online tournaments to start supporting team sponsors rather than just their own. You might say "that's not our responsibility" but you have to understand that eSports is a fragile ecosystem and we depend on each other to ensure it remains alive. It is in your best interests to ensure that more money enters the scene, it benefits you as a tournament organizer, it benefits the viewers and the players. The problem is not going to fix itself, proactive effort is required by those with the power to do so.

Thanks for reading.







So I am going to do my best right here to not insult anyone, but its difficult.

The sponsorship scene GLOBALLY is a mess. The reason being, most sponsors only want to give products. FXOpen stopped soliciting sponsorships because it became this stupid game of explaining other peoples actions to sponsors.
Our sponsorship for our team is the entire cost. Theres no gaps, and our team has aircon/heating non stop 24/7 all year round without issue.

The majority of Korean sponsorships are product based in the hope that in the future, they will get cash.

Now, its easy for you guys to get all riled up crying "NO CASH WTF IS THIS" but you need to look at the dollar value of an e-sport overall.
The exposure is small, its to a population that has a loud MINORITY please read these two words instead of jumping on the hate wagon, who whine about paying for anything. (I applaud those who purchase products/use services just because they sponsor sc2, its unfortunate you guys aren't the loudest).
They go to any forum and see pointless crap drama about hating on one person, someone leaking nude photos of another, and other childish crap.
In the end, its a safer bet to not give money to the teams because of what they are supporting.

I know this is going to go down really badly with the community, but as I have said in the past ALOT has to change for e-sports to continue growing.
The Korean scene will start to see some money being pumped into it now that OGN is in sc2, it has more value because its on TV, so I don't think it will be that difficult in the future to solidify some cash sponsorships. That being said, since KESPA jumped over, there are simply too many teams.

Now to your idea of creating korean events.

Well, it won't work.

From a team owners point of view the schedule is way to jammed now to fit any more in. Korean players will have to start forgetting about foreign events just so they can do everything in Korea and still keep up with practice schedules (if they dont do this the KESPA teams will romp them non stop).

The best thing that you can possibly do (total biscuit) is get your outsiders into the scene. You have soooo many followers, and such a loud voice. Its personalities who can bring in the new fresh viewership by advertising campaigns, youtube competitions, twitter competitions etc etc. Throwing some cash money at a scene in prize money will just end up being a waste in my opinion.
The merging of the e-sports scene HAS to happen in order for the money to flow. Right now everything is split up, but as an industry, it can be huge.

RE: FXO sponsorship, the FXO team has plenty of money, and we are expanding on that slowly. I dare say that our team is the most financially secure out of the ESF teams right now. I don't know LG IM's situation exactly, but they would be close to the same level right now. The thing is, we aren't relying on sponsors.
www.twitter.com/gosutrading
Shady Sands
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States4021 Posts
August 29 2012 02:53 GMT
#159
Would it not make sense to tie eSports with some established "traction engines" like Scooter Braun? The guy wants to set up a media empire on not just business. Bringing eSports into the mainstream could be just the next leg his "empire of visibility" wants to do. Or at least it looks good on paper.

FXOBoss/TBiscuit, PM me if you guys need some powerpointing done for this.
Что?
BobStaMan
Profile Joined September 2010
United States29 Posts
August 29 2012 03:40 GMT
#160
On August 29 2012 11:44 FXOBoSs wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 29 2012 01:19 TotalBiscuit wrote:


RE: FXO sponsorship, the FXO team has plenty of money, and we are expanding on that slowly. I dare say that our team is the most financially secure out of the ESF teams right now. I don't know LG IM's situation exactly, but they would be close to the same level right now. The thing is, we aren't relying on sponsors.


I have no idea about the financial stability of any teams that play SC2 but how do you pay for players/facility/transportation etc. without any form of sponsorship?
Results? Stream revenue? Produced content?

It'd be interesting to know of any other ways a team would be able to succeed. Even if the methods used aren't used by your own team, it's something I'd like to learn, maybe someone else would too.
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