The LIONS Sport track at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity saw Hero Esports Co-Founder and CEO Danny Tang deliver a landmark address on 25 June 2026, making the case for esports as a mainstream cultural and commercial force. 

Speaking alongside ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) CEO Niccolò Maisto, Tang used the platform to challenge outdated perceptions of the industry and present data-driven evidence of its global scale, diverse demographics and cultural influence beyond gaming. 

Tang’s executive insights arrived alongside the release of a comprehensive global whitepaper titled The Esports Generation: Who They Are & Why They Spend, co-published by Hero Esports, EFG, and market research firm Niko Partners. The study, which surveyed 8,000 Gen Z consumers across eight global markets, grounds Tang’s assertions in hard data, showing that roughly 400 million Gen Z individuals—or one in five globally—now regularly engage with the competitive gaming ecosystem.

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Addressing the physical footprint of the industry, Tang drew direct parallels between major esports tournaments and legacy sports or pop music icons. “From Bird’s Nest, to Barclay’s Center and Quodos Arena, arenas across the world are hosting esports events,” Tang explained, noting sold-out crowds for titles like Honor of Kings, Counter-Strike 2, and League of Legends. “These are the same arenas that host the NBA Finals, the Rolling Stones, and Beyoncé. Esports has earned its place on the biggest stages in entertainment.”

Tang’s assessment comes a few months after Hero Esports entered the Guinness World Record for largest esports attendance for the Honor of Kings 2025 King Pro League (KPL) Grand Finals, when over 62,000 fans packed Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium. The event also granted Hero Esports a Webby Award for “Best Use of Immersive” in the Video & Film category.

Beyond live arena settings, Tang highlighted a massive digital layer shaping consumer behavior: while 640 million people watch esports globally, roughly 1.4 billion consume gaming content on social platforms, and 3.6 billion play video games daily. This massive scale is actively shifting historical gaming stereotypes. The average fan age now sits at 26, and the demographic landscape is growing highly diverse. 

Crucially, Tang spotlighted a massive demographic reality in Asia, revealing that female fans make up over 90 percent of the live tournament audience in China for the battle royale shooter PUBG Mobile. “This is a diverse, inclusive community that is redefining who a ‘gamer’ is,” she commented.

Image credit: Hero Esports

This deep community integration has allowed competitive gaming to successfully transition into mainstream pop culture and traditional media formats. Tang referenced a 30-episode romance drama centered around esports produced in 2021, which accumulated over 4 billion views in its debut year alone. 

By leveraging competitive gaming as a vehicle for broader cultural storytelling, Tang sees the industry securing permanent institutional legitimacy. “Offline, we are filling up Olympic stadiums. Online, half the world is playing and watching,” she concluded. “Institutionally, esports is gaining legitimacy at the highest levels.”

The appearance at LIONS Sport marked the first time the esports sector has been formally represented at the global advertising festival’s dedicated sports programme, with the goal of demonstrating to brand leaders how the industry is scaling international properties. The full “The Esports Generation” whitepaper can be accessed through this link.

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