The segment's 23.63% CAGR tops sponsorships and all other revenue streams, according to DataBridge Market Research.

Malaysia Esports Market Surpasses $31 Million in 2024

The Malaysia esports market reached a valuation of USD 31.55 million in 2024, according to a DataBridge Market Research study with a base year of 2022 and a study period covering 2024–2032 (historical data from 2016–2023). The market is projected to grow to USD 119.28 million by 2032, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.55% over the 2025–2032 forecast period. This robust expansion positions Malaysia as a leading esports revenue market in Southeast Asia, underpinned by rising mobile penetration, widening internet infrastructure, and increasing viewership across competitive gaming titles.

The market size figure of USD 31.55 million is approximately 4.6 times the USD 6.86 million estimate published by Stellar Market Research, which applied a narrower market scope and a different methodology. DataBridge's broader segmentation, which includes revenue streams such as sponsorships, media rights, and prize pools, offers a more comprehensive baseline for analyzing monetization channels. This report relies on DataBridge's granular segment-level data unless otherwise noted.

Media Rights Emerges as Fastest-Growing Revenue Stream

Media rights is the fastest-growing revenue stream within Malaysia's esports market, projected to expand at a CAGR of 23.63% from 2025 to 2032, according to DataBridge Market Research. This growth rate surpasses every other monetization channel in the market, including sponsorships and direct advertisements—the largest segment by absolute value. Sponsorships and direct advertisements generated USD 19.22 million in 2024, accounting for approximately 61% of total market revenue that year.

DataBridge does not disclose an absolute 2024 media rights revenue figure in its publicly available report. However, the 23.63% CAGR for media rights exceeds the overall market CAGR of 23.55%, signaling that this segment is gradually gaining share of the revenue mix. If current trends hold, media rights could begin to challenge sponsorships' dominance by the early 2030s as streaming platforms and broadcasters compete for exclusive rights to Malaysia's growing esports audience.

CAGR (%) (%)Source: Orionmano Industries

Mobile and FPS/TPS Segments Dominate Platform and Game Categories

Two structural drivers underpin the growth of media rights revenue in Malaysia: mobile-first viewership and the dominance of competitive shooter titles. Mobile and tablets constituted the largest e-platform segment in Malaysia's esports market, generating USD 15.48 million in 2024. This segment is also the fastest-growing platform category, with a CAGR of 24.03% over the forecast period. Malaysia's high smartphone penetration—among the highest in Southeast Asia—makes mobile devices the primary gateway for both casual and competitive gaming, creating a large addressable audience for media rights holders.

First/Third Person Shooters (FPS/TPS) dominate the games segment, accounting for USD 7.99 million in revenue in 2024, the largest among game categories. FPS/TPS is also the fastest-growing genre, with a CAGR of 24.86% from 2025 to 2032. Titles such as Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, and PUBG Mobile (a battle royale with FPS elements) have strong competitive ecosystems in Malaysia, driving viewership on platforms like YouTube Gaming and Twitch. Media rights deals for FPS/TPS tournaments—both domestic and regional—are key content drivers, as broadcasters and streaming platforms seek to capture the large, engaged audiences these titles attract. The combination of mobile-first consumption and high-engagement shooter content creates a favorable environment for media rights monetization.

Malaysia's Media Rights Growth Aligns with Global Trends

Malaysia's media rights CAGR of 23.63% is slightly below the global average but reflects a similar structural expansion. Grand View Research estimates that global esports media rights revenue reached USD 500.3 million in 2024, with a CAGR of 24.4% from 2025 to 2030. North America led global media rights revenue in 2024; Japan is expected to register the highest country-level CAGR over the forecast period, according to Grand View Research.

Malaysia's growth trajectory, while marginally below the global benchmark, is notable for a market of its size. The country's media rights CAGR of 23.63% closely tracks the overall global media rights CAGR, suggesting that Malaysia is not merely a passive participant in the global esports economy but is developing a domestic media rights market with its own distinct drivers. The broader Asia-Pacific region benefits from rising internet penetration, the proliferation of mobile esports, and increasing investment from regional streaming platforms and telecom operators.

Industry commentary from Mobility Foresights, published in February 2026, notes that "growing investments from venture capital, media rights deals, and corporate sponsorships are enhancing professional esports ecosystem monetization" in Malaysia. The 6Wresearch Malaysia Gaming Market report, covering 2026–2032, identifies mobile gaming and esports as growth sectors, with the overall gaming market projected to grow at a 7.4% CAGR—a slower rate than esports-specific revenue growth, underscoring the elevated pace of competitive gaming monetization.

Media rights remain a relatively small proportion of Malaysia's overall esports revenue today, but the growth rate signals a strategic pivot. As global esports media rights approach USD 1.9 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research), markets like Malaysia—with high mobile engagement and strong shooter-game viewership—are positioned to capture a larger share of broadcast and streaming revenue. If the 23.63% CAGR holds, media rights could become a material contributor to Malaysia's projected USD 119.28 million market by 2032, potentially reshaping the revenue structure away from sponsorship dependence and toward a more diversified broadcasting model.