The Rise of Esports with Mainline CEO Chris Buckner

<p>Esports is quite rapidly taking the entire world by storm.</p> <p>Nearly <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/490480/global-esports-audience-size-viewer-type/">half a billion people</a> now tune in to watch competitive tournaments between the most talented global teams. Popular games like Riot Games' <em>League of Legends</em> or <strong>Activision Blizzard's</strong> (Nasdaq: ATVI) <em>Overwatch </em>are attracting live audiences in numbers that rival the Super Bowl. And because most of these tournaments are broadcast digitally, there's a flood of data available for advertisers to digest about their audience's demographics and interests.</p> <p>So how should investors <em>play</em> this massive and developing trend? Are there game developers who are banking on the popularity of their best-selling titles? Are there broadcasting platforms who are winning the lion's share of advertising? Are there progressive companies who are tuned-in and placing the right bets on sponsorship?</p> <p>To help us answer these questions and more, we've brought in an Esports expert. Chris Buckner is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://mainline.gg/about/">Mainline.GG</a>, who is unlocking the value of Esports for everyone. His company set up tournaments for companies and universities -- including the University of Texas, Texas A&amp;M, and Louisiana State University -- helping them manage, monetize, and market their Esports programs.</p> <p>In an exclusive interview, Chris spoke with 7investing CEO Simon Erickson about why Esports is such an important developing trend. He described what games are the most popular for tournaments and which developers are at the forefront of the movement. He also explained how the Esports gaming industry makes money and why certain broadcast platforms and advertisers are uniquely positioned to benefit.</p> <p>Chris also describes what Esports tournament events are really like, as well as what China's recent regulations on gaming could mean for the industry.</p> <p><em>Publicly-traded compa