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What does “more popular” mean?
Popularity can refer to awareness, having ever watched, regular viewing, stated interest, or viewing compared with a particular sport. These measures are not interchangeable. A high awareness figure does not mean that the same share watches regularly, and a country-level comparison with soccer cannot establish that esports outrank every traditional sport.
Esports means competitive video games—played on computer, mobile, or console—where individuals or teams compete in leagues or tournaments. Playing games is not the same as watching esports, and the audiences overlap. Deloitte’s 2022 overview describes esports as competitive play and notes that viewing can happen online, on television, or in person.
What Deloitte’s 2024 Southeast Asia survey found
Deloitte’s Let’s Play! 2024: The Southeast Asian esports market reports survey findings for six Southeast Asian markets. The broader study surveyed 14,250 people across 20 markets, with fieldwork in summer 2024; the esports comparisons discussed here are regional or country-specific findings, not a single measure for all of Asia.
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| Measure | Deloitte’s 2024 finding | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Esports awareness | 94% across the surveyed Southeast Asian markets | Awareness, not viewing or preference. |
| Had watched esports | 75% across the surveyed Southeast Asian markets | Ever-viewed reach, not necessarily current or regular viewing. |
| Regular esports viewing | 32% across the surveyed Southeast Asian markets; “regular” means at least one hour per week | A weekly viewing measure, rather than a comparison with a named traditional sport. |
The figures describe different stages of engagement. They show that esports have substantial reach in the surveyed region, but they do not show that most people prefer esports to traditional sports.
Which Asian countries watch esports more than traditional sports?
The available findings here are for Southeast Asia, and the comparisons vary by country and sport. Deloitte reports these distinctions:
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| Market | Reported finding | Comparison limit |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Esports viewership had surpassed soccer; 59% were regular esports viewers in Deloitte’s 2024 survey. | The report’s comparison is with soccer. The 59% figure is regular esports reach, not the share preferring esports to all traditional sports. |
| Thailand | Esports ranked behind football. | The reported ranking does not establish a ranking against every sport or an overall preference measure. |
| Philippines | Esports ranked behind basketball. | The reported ranking is relative to basketball, not all traditional sports. |
| Singapore | Regular esports reach was 18%, the lowest among the six surveyed markets. | This is a regular-viewing figure, not a direct comparison with a named traditional sport. |
These results illustrate why a single claim about “Asia” is too broad: the named sport and the type of measurement matter, and the available country findings do not cover the whole continent.
Does esports growth mean traditional sports are being replaced?
The survey figures do not establish a zero-sum shift. Someone can watch esports and traditional sports; awareness, weekly viewing, and country-specific rankings do not show that one audience has abandoned the other. Deloitte’s 2024 report says interest in esports is increasingly on par with traditional sports in Southeast Asia, but that is not evidence of a region-wide majority preference or replacement.
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The audience also has a broader profile than a stereotype of esports as only a young men’s interest. In Deloitte’s surveyed Southeast Asian esports audience, Millennials and Gen Z together accounted for 81%, while women accounted for 44%. These are shares of the surveyed esports audience, not demographic shares of all viewers in Asia.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the headline claim needs a narrower answer
“E-sports are more popular than traditional sports in Asia” implies one continent-wide result measured on a common basis. The cited evidence instead combines awareness, ever-viewing, weekly viewing, interest, and comparisons with specific sports across six Southeast Asian markets. It supports a more precise conclusion: esports are a major entertainment category in parts of Southeast Asia, and Deloitte reports a lead over soccer in Vietnam, while the evidence does not show that esports have overtaken traditional sports throughout Asia.
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