Next to 1st and 2nd Bundesliga

The German Football League regularly comments on a great destination for the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL): It should be an equivalent strong brand as the football benches league - at eye level with Germany's largest sports product stand. This idea is persecuted by the DFL responsible for the VBL foundation in 2012. To date, however, the ESPORT league attracts close to a few viewers.

So are these ambitions too high? Andreas Heyden, CEO of DFL Digital Sports, repeatedly explains that the VBL has ambitious intentions. Also on the event BMW Esports Boost 2021 he repeats this maxim: My job is to build the Virtual Bundesliga for the third competitive brand, next to the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga.

Low audience numbers - despite the escort boom

In addition, audience should be enthusiastic to bind fans to the league. But the VBL does not succeed even with significant events: The Grand Final 2021 had a peak of about 35,000 simultaneous spectators. This number limps both the two football resorts as well as other espport games, such as the tactic shooter valorantly huge afterwards. There a global million audience is achieved.

For Hayden this does not seem to be a reason to panic. On the one hand, he stresses the potential to lure followers of the Federal countries to the ESPORT: 81% of all ESPORT fans simultaneously look traditional football. So we see a demand.

On the other hand, an important discussion point is the age of the VBL and the associated problems and prospects: We must manage the expectation to grow this young product while at the same time have the pressure to be professionally produced from the beginning and to have spectators.

Hand in hand with these expectations is also the development of new content and presentation plans: We need to develop new models, as the contents are distributed. If it wants to copy the Bundesliga, that will not work. The VBL must be further developed as a total construct to continue to arouse more interest.

Cooperations with espport and gaming personalities

An important aspect in this further development is cooperation with the right partners. The DFL has a running partnership with the ESL that promote and support the tournament. But what the spectators, especially boy, will bring to the program, are well-known and exciting personalities.

The FIFA ESPORT previously misses a Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo at the controller. Especially what the pure attraction is concerned. Nevertheless, the VBL with other collaborations would like to convince the potential spectators to turn on.

A possible big step in this direction was made at the end of the past season. The VBL started cooperation with Elias 'Eliasn97' Nerlich, one of Germany's most famous FIFA Youtuber. The ongoing partnership should advance the VBL, especially as far as a broad audience is concerned.

Until the virtual actually can be measured with the football benches league in terms of mass enthusiasts, it is still a way. The industry is growing and with her the VBL - the course for a glorious future seemed.

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