Yahoo launches esports app for iPhone, lets you set alerts for upcoming matches

While Yahoo may be currently touting its merits to attract the highest bidder, the former web giant is continuing to ramp up its product offerings with the launch this week of its esports app on iPhone.

The launch comes less than three months after Yahoo first made a push for the burgeoning esports market by introducing a dedicated section for the category on its website, followed by the Android incarnation last month.

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With Yahoo Esports, the company is setting out to be the “premiere destination” for esports content, covering syndications, scoreboards, video interviews, highlights, and livestreams of matches. While the iPhone version is largely the same as the existing web and Android apps, it does come with one unique feature: reminders. Users will be able to set alerts for themselves and receive push notifications when a match is about to begin.

The esports market is big business, expected to grow to $1.1 billion by 2019, which is why Amazon acquired Twitch, and Google is increasingly embracing the trend — with YouTube seeing 144 billion minutes of game videos every month.

In 2016 alone, it’s estimated that esports will drive $325 million in sponsorship and advertising spending from brands seeking the attention of the young gaming demographic. And this is why Yahoo has jumped on the bandwagon despite its troubles elsewhere — esports offer a potentially lucrative opportunity to boost its revenues in the short- and medium-term. It also adds to Yahoo’s existing sports coverage, along with fantasy sports.