Esports is no longer a niche pastime but a major force in global culture, according to Danny Tang, co-founder and CEO of Hero Esports, who spoke at Cannes Lions Sport 2026 on Wednesday.

Tang, the only Chinese corporate representative invited to this year's LIONS Sport, was also the first Chinese corporate speaker officially announced for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this year.

Speaking in a session titled "Selling Out Olympic Stadiums – How Esports Rewrites Attention/Fandom," Tang discussed changing esports audience trends, fan demographics and the industry's commercial future. He appeared alongside Niccolò Maisto, CEO of ESL FACEIT Group, and esports psychologist Liu Tongyu.

Tang said the average esports fan is 26 years old and noted that the industry has a large female audience. In China, he said, women account for more than 90% of the live tournament audience for PUBG Mobile, a battle royale game.

"This is a diverse, inclusive community that is redefining who a 'gamer' is," Tang said.

During the session, Hero Esports also unveiled the trailer for an upcoming documentary on the KPL 2025 Grand Final, highlighting the creative and technical challenges involved in producing the event.

Tang said esports events differ widely and each comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities.

At the end of the session, Hero Esports, together with Niko Partners and ESL FACEIT Group, released a white paper titled "The Esports Generation: Who They Are, and Why They Spend." The report examines audience demographics and commercial opportunities in the international esports market.

Tang said esports is gaining legitimacy both online and offline. "Offline, we're filling Olympic stadiums; online, half the world is playing and watching; institutionally, esports is gaining legitimacy at the highest levels," he said. "The era of treating esports as a fringe activity is over — this is the new global sport."

Other speakers at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity include Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, Apple executive Eddy Cue, Oprah Winfrey and Mercedes AMG Petronas driver George Russell.