Sector's top line performs better after 2-yr slump

China's esports industry is staging a comeback by reversing a two-year revenue slump in the first half of the year, fueled by a growing user base, stronger international influence and government support, said a recent industry report.

According to the report by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, China remained the world's largest esports market by user base in the first half of this year, with approximately 490 million users, up 0.52 percent from last year.

Revenue from the esports sector hit 12.02 billion yuan ($1.65 billion) in the first six months of the year, an increase of 4.43 percent year-onyear. Such momentum is largely driven by game livestreaming, which accounted for nearly 80 percent of the total.