Updated Apr 30, 2026 by Modern Times Group
Report
Published by Modern Times Group
Modern Times Group (MTG) navigated a pivotal digital transformation in 2016 by embedding corporate responsibility into its core business strategy. The organization focused on four primary pillars: media responsibility, social impact, business ethics, and environmental stewardship. By aligning its operational evolution with these values, the company secured recognition in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and established a framework for long-term growth. This strategic shift prioritized the integration of ethical standards into digital entertainment services, ensuring that the company’s transition remained consistent with its commitment to regulatory compliance and stakeholder accountability. Operational performance throughout 2016 reflected a dual focus on internal culture and external resilience. The company successfully reduced its total carbon emissions by 7% and increased its reliance on renewable energy to 16.6%. Simultaneously, MTG bolstered its cybersecurity and anti-corruption frameworks, achieving an 81% completion rate for mandatory information security training and maintaining a record of zero confirmed corruption incidents. Governance was further strengthened through the Corporate Responsibility Advisory Group, which oversaw the implementation of rigorous data protection measures and preparations for upcoming regulatory shifts like GDPR. Human capital management and social engagement remained central to the company’s mission, despite a workforce reduction to 3,805 employees. MTG actively pursued gender parity in leadership through the "Women Up" initiative, aiming for a 50/50 management split by 2020. Furthermore, the company leveraged extensive consumer research and partnerships, such as "Reach for Change," to ensure content alignment with viewer preferences and broader social impact. While the company acknowledged limitations in HR data granularity, its disclosures adhered to the GRI G4 Core level guidelines, confirming a transparent and disciplined approach to corporate governance across its international operations.
Contents Our Approach Business Ethics Letter from the CR Team Highlights 22 Letter from the CR Team 1 Highlights 22 Letter from the CEO 2 Effective Anti-corruption and Anti-bribery Management 23 CR Strategy and Materiality 4 Esports Ethics Partnerships 23 MTG Overview 6 Data Protection and Privacy 24 How We Govern 25 Media Responsibility Our Stakeholder Engagement 26 Value Chain 27 Evironmental Care Highlights 8 Responsible Content 9 Highlights 28 Minors Online Protection 10 Our Environmental Work 29 Broadcast Compliance 11 Environment in Esports 29 Social Impact About the Report About the Social Impact Report Highlights 12 Objectives and Achievements 30 People of MTG 13 Workforce Data 32 Diversity and Equality 14 Corporate Giving Data 36 Women Up 15 Environmental Data 36 Careers in Brief 16 Financial Data 37 Diversity in Esports 18 Compliance Data 37 Game Changers 19 GRI Index 38 Change Leaders Support 20 Report Boundaries 42 Safety and Security of Employees 21 Independent Assurance Statement 43
Letter from the CR Team Welcome to our 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report! Today, MTG delivers memorable digital experiences that engage millions of people around the world. We’re on an exciting journey to become a leading digital video entertainer. Our ambition is greater than ever – and so are our responsibilities. MTG’s vision is to shape the future of responsible entertainment. During 2016, we reinforced our Corporate Responsibility strategy to reflect this vision. We talked to our customers, partners, investors and employees to learn what matters most to them. We also have an ongoing strategic dialogue with our global media peers through the Responsible Media Forum, which helps us drive responsibility both in our business and across the industry. As a result, we will focus on four areas. We aim to offer responsible entertainment, while acting ethically, committing to our employees, and managing our limited impact on the environment. In this report, we show our progress and share what we’ve learned along the way. Most importantly, we hear from MTG’s employees and stakeholders. Great storytell ing is what MTG is all about – and our diversity, our commitment to local content and what it’s like to be the world’s leading female Counter-Strike player are some of the most inspiring stories we’ve heard all year.
. Most importantly, we hear from MTG’s employees and stakeholders. Great storytell ing is what MTG is all about – and our diversity, our commitment to local content and what it’s like to be the world’s leading female Counter-Strike player are some of the most inspiring stories we’ve heard all year. It’s a reminder that our business is on the right path, and it strengthens our belief that responsible entertainment is the right kind of entertainment Explore our stories and get in touch to let us know what you think, or to join us in our journey. Mauro Silva Lena Ander SVP, Head of Brand Experience Senior Corporate and Corporate Responsibility Responsibility Manager GRI REFERENCE
Letter from the CEO “At MTG, corporate responsibility During 2016, we accelerated our strategic transformation (CR) is at the very core of our from a traditional broadcaster into a leading digital video entertainer. We’re investing in relevant, complementary and business, and is closely and scalable content and communities – and as a result, we’re now delivering amazing experiences that reach more people, carefully integrated with our in more places and on more devices than ever before. strategy, values and culture.” MTG’s ESL and DreamHack businesses make us the biggest player in esports – a sector expected to engage almost 200 million enthusiasts in 2017. Through Zoomin.TV, we operate the world’s fifth largest digital video network with 2 billion monthly views, while Splay is the largest network in the Nor dic region. And we recently invested in InnoGames, which develops and publishes games with 150 million registered players. Our broadcast TV and video streaming services, meanwhile, offer storytelling that’s off the charts. This transformation is driven by our desire to shape the future of entertainment. Through smartphones, tablets and ultra-fast broadband networks, people of all ages and back grounds now turn to digital content, platforms and commu nities in order to be entertained, informed and engaged. Our product development is all about staying relevant and being where the audience is. When eyeballs shift, we always try to get there first. Broader horizons bring broader responsibilities.
ds now turn to digital content, platforms and commu nities in order to be entertained, informed and engaged. Our product development is all about staying relevant and being where the audience is. When eyeballs shift, we always try to get there first. Broader horizons bring broader responsibilities. Whether our customers are streaming an original series that raises important social issues, taking the family to a digital festival or trusting us with their personal data, MTG touches their lives in many ways. lives At all times, we strive to respect the privacy rights of our customers and employees while working at the cutting edge of innovation. Data protection is therefore one of our highest priorities. We are also keenly aware of the importance of child protection and of providing kids’ content that’s both entertaining and educational – as younger millennial and Generation Z audiences embrace our products and services on demand and on mobile. on de
Achievements and progress At MTG, corporate responsibility (CR) is at the very core of our business, and is closely and carefully integrated with our strategy, values and culture. We reinforced our CR strategy with four focus areas in 2016 – media responsibility, social impact, business ethics and environmental care. We are committed to the UN Global Compact, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. Our ambition is for these principles and values to guide everything we do, and to become the foundation for MTG’s Code of Conduct and policy framework. Our sustainability outlook We know we can do even more. In 2017, we will map our energy consumption, starting with our largest markets, with the objective of reducing it 20% by 2020. We will enhance our data protection procedures and implement a compliance plan that proactively meets the demands of the General Data Protection Regulation that comes into force in May 2018. And we will focus on creating even more inclusive and accessible content that reflects the diversity of our audiences, while upholding human rights and freedom of expression. We will set new CR objectives and targets for 2020 and connect them to relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals, in order to create even greater societal value. We are particularly committed to Goal #5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Consumer behaviour, media formats and storytelling tech niques keep evolving, and so will we.
Esports is rapidly evolving into a mainstream live‑entertainment sector, with viewership surpassing 100 million hours and prize pools doubling since 2018. The industry’s growth outpaces traditional sports, registering a 10 % year‑over‑year increase while leagues such as the NFL and NBA stagnate. Core titles—League of Legends, CS:GO, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Dota 2 and Valorant—concentrate 70 % of total viewing hours, yet an estimated $2.5 billion in untapped gamer audiences remains available, underscoring significant scalability potential. Geographically, governments across France, Denmark, China and Japan are investing in infrastructure, tax incentives and athlete support, while the International Esports Federation seeks Olympic recognition. Sponsorship penetration has reached 45 % of non‑gaming brands, and universities now offer esports scholarships, indicating a blending of traditional sports support structures with the unique dynamics of game publishers. However, media‑rights monetisation remains constrained by fragmented licensing arrangements. The absence of a unified regulatory body creates volatility for players; games and prize pools can collapse abruptly, as seen with Fortnite and Heroes of the Storm. Coordinated regulation, career pathways, post‑career support and state investment are identified as essential for legitimising esports as a sustainable profession. In sum, the sector demonstrates explosive growth and high engagement among younger, tech‑savvy audiences, but requires cohesive governance and media‑rights frameworks to unlock its full economic potential.
This analysis explores the landscape of shooter games on live streaming platforms from 2019 through 2025, tracking viewership trends, subgenre shifts, and the impact of esports. While shooters remain a cornerstone of the industry—consistently accounting for at least 20% of all gaming viewership—the genre has seen a 6% decline in market share since 2022. By 2024, shooters represented approximately one-in-five gaming hours watched, totaling 6.1 billion hours. The data reveals a significant transition in subgenre dominance. Tactical shooters overtook battle royale games in 2023 to become the most-watched subgenre. This shift is largely driven by the sustained popularity of Valorant and Counter-Strike, which together claim 90% of tactical shooter viewership. Conversely, the battle royale subgenre has seen its viewership halve since its 2020 peak, despite the continued popularity of Fortnite. Other segments, such as extraction and arena shooters, have maintained stable but smaller market shares, with Escape From Tarkov accounting for nearly two-thirds of all extraction shooter hours. Esports serves as a primary engine for the genre's visibility. By late 2025, nearly half of all Counter-Strike viewership was generated by esports events. Valorant maintains a balanced global presence, holding significant viewership shares across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Southern Hemisphere. In contrast, Counter-Strike remains heavily reliant on the European market, while PUBG Mobile dominates the mobile-centric Asian market. The analysis also highlights the influence of individual creators and variety streamers. In 2024, Gaules emerged as the leading shooter streamer with 79.2 million hours watched. While Twitch remains the dominant platform for top creators, accounting for 73% of the top ten's viewership, the data shows high viewer overlap between franchises. For example, over 40% of Valorant viewers also engage with other tactical shooters, suggesting strong community fluidity across the genre. Methodology for these findings includes data aggregation from all major streaming platforms, excluding TikTok Live, with specific sentiment analysis conducted on Twitch chat data.
The live streaming industry in 2024 underwent a fundamental transformation characterized by decentralization and the diversification of content beyond traditional gaming. As platforms like Kick experienced explosive growth and new services emerged to fill regional voids left by Twitch’s departure from Korea, the ecosystem shifted toward a multi-platform approach. Creators increasingly utilized simulcasting to expand their reach, while high-production marathons and global IRL content became the primary drivers of audience engagement. This evolution reflects a broader move away from platform exclusivity toward a creator-led model where individual influence dictates viewership patterns. Esports and competitive gaming remained central to the industry’s success, though the nature of consumption changed significantly. Co-streaming emerged as a dominant force, accounting for nearly 45 percent of all esports viewership, while mobile esports solidified its status as a global powerhouse, particularly during the Esports World Cup. Simultaneously, the industry benefited from a strong synergy between transmedia adaptations and gaming, as film and television projects like Fallout revitalized interest in specific titles. The rise of VTubers and the enduring popularity of RPGs and nostalgia-driven remakes further sustained high levels of viewer retention throughout the year. Beyond gaming, the landscape expanded to include political commentary, music-focused programming, and massive independent events that rivaled traditional broadcast media. Large-scale spectacles, such as La Velada del Año 4, demonstrated the potential for creators to command millions of concurrent viewers outside of established gaming frameworks. Brands successfully capitalized on these shifts by integrating directly into the viewer experience through strategic initiatives like Twitch Drops. Ultimately, the industry in 2024 proved that long-term growth is now tethered to the ability to blend interactive community engagement with diverse, multi-genre content that transcends the traditional boundaries of the gaming sector.
The esports live-streaming market demonstrated significant resilience in the first quarter of 2023, with viewership growing 15% year-over-year to reach 651 million hours watched. This growth occurred despite a general decline in broader live-streaming viewership during the same period. The data, aggregated from major platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, and AfreecaTV, indicates that the top 30 tournaments alone account for 68% of total esports viewership, highlighting a heavy concentration of audience interest in premier events. Twitch maintains its market leadership with a 62% share of esports hours watched, followed by YouTube at 30%. While Twitch dominates smaller events with an 81% market share, YouTube has successfully increased its presence in the large-scale event segment, capturing 34% of viewership for tournaments with an average minute audience exceeding 80,000. Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) and First-Person Shooter (FPS) remain the most popular genres, though Action-Adventure saw the highest growth due to specialized events like Minecraft Extremo. A critical trend identified is the rise of co-streaming, where independent creators broadcast official tournament footage to their own audiences. In the case of the Call of Duty League, co-streaming helped triple the league's hours watched compared to the previous year, with nearly 60% of the peak audience watching via creator channels rather than official streams. Top creators like Tarik and Ibai have become central to this ecosystem, often generating higher chat engagement rates than official broadcasts. Mobile esports also showed strength, particularly Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which saw a 273% increase in esports viewership despite a general downturn in the mobile gaming sector.