On May 15, the 2024 Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Sports Media Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur. Sebastian Lau, Director General of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), attended the event, where AESF COO Steve Kim delivered a keynote speech. Neil Chen, Senior Vice President of Digital Esports Asia, was also invited to participate.  

The conference featured eight thematic sessions covering topics such as esports, sports management, opportunities for women’s sports development, and AI innovations in sports content. Nearly 200 experts from broadcasting media and sports organizations across the Asia-Pacific region gathered to discuss trends, challenges, and technological innovations in sports media and the industry.  

During his keynote speech, Steve Kim emphasized, "AESF is committed to building a diversified competition system. This year, we will host the Asia Cup for Esports. AESF looks forward to working with partners in the media and broadcasting industries to leverage the rapid development of AR, VR, and XR technologies for collaboration in event content creation and media rights management."  

In the esports session, Neil Chen shared insights on the business and media rights opportunities in esports. He highlighted that the media’s content production capabilities provide esports with a unique promotional platform. As a content-driven sport with strong fan engagement, esports possesses a distinct "fan economy" that helps media organizations attract audiences more effectively. The collaboration between esports and media demonstrates the true essence of "win-win" partnerships.  

Janni Jansen, AESF's Head of Partnerships and Growth, along with Ali, Sports Channel General Manager of Indonesia’s National Television, PSI Founder Yong, and renowned Malaysian esports commentator CHUCHU, discussed topics such as the development trends of esports IP, enhancing audience engagement, and the differentiated evolution of media rights for esports and traditional sports events.  

As esports continues to feature in continental multisport events, the diversity of esports competitions provides media with greater possibilities for content creation and distribution. Looking ahead, the connection between esports and sports media is expected to deepen. By maximizing platform and IP advantages, this collaboration aims to deliver higher-quality and more engaging event content to audiences worldwide.