Maximum Single Reward Reaches 5 Million Yuan
On January 6, Baiyun District officially issued the Several Measures for Promoting the Development of the E-sports Industry in Baiyun District (hereinafter referred to as the Measures), rolling out 11 initiatives to bolster the growth of the local e-sports sector. According to the Measures, eligible e-sports enterprises and clubs settling in Baiyun District can receive a maximum subsidy of 2 million yuan, with the highest single reward going up to 5 million yuan.
The Guangzhou International E-sports Center is scheduled to be put into operation in the first half of this year, which, together with the Measures, forms a powerful combination of “high-quality carrier + targeted policy”. By introducing leading enterprises, supporting top-tier tournaments, cultivating e-sports talents, and expanding integrated scenarios of “e-sports + exhibitions”, Baiyun District will activate the tournament economy, empower the in-depth integration of culture, tourism, commerce and sports, and inject strong new impetus into regional economic development.
“Combined Efforts” Create a Strong Magnetic Field for Industrial Clusters
The introduction of the Measures comes at an opportune time. Together with the official launch of the Guangzhou International E-sports Center, it will form a synergistic approach to drive the rise of the e-sports industry in Baiyun District.
As the core carrier and landmark project of Baiyun District’s e-sports industry, the Guangzhou International E-sports Center is Guangzhou’s first professional Grade B e-sports venue. It will open to the public and start operation in the first half of this year, laying a solid foundation for the development of the regional e-sports industry. Equipped with advanced hardware to host international and national top-level e-sports events, the center will also collaborate with provincial and municipal e-sports associations to become a core hub of the complete industrial chain covering “tournament hosting, team incubation and commercial supporting services”.
The timely introduction of the Measures aims to inject strong momentum into the high-quality development of the e-sports industry across the district through policy empowerment. With these measures, Baiyun District can not only attract leading enterprises in the e-sports industry chain, promote the agglomeration of upstream and downstream industrial resources, but also bring high-quality e-sports events to the district, giving full play to the functional value of the professional venue of the Guangzhou International E-sports Center and building a regional e-sports cultural landmark. Moreover, relying on the traffic generated by tournaments, Baiyun District can activate consumption potential, create new consumption scenarios, effectively boost local consumption in sectors such as catering, accommodation, transportation, tourism and shopping, foster new consumption growth points, and promote the comprehensive integration and prosperity of culture, tourism, commerce and sports in the district.
Therefore, Baiyun District has set up a special fund to support the development of e-sports tournament operators, e-sports clubs and other entities in the district. Article 3 of the Measures stipulates that e-sports enterprises with an annual operating income of 20 million yuan or more will be granted a maximum subsidy of 2 million yuan. This measure is intended to attract high-quality enterprises to settle in the district, drive the agglomeration of upstream and downstream resources in the industrial chain, and build a “strong magnetic field” for the industrial cluster.
Tournament Economy Drives the Integration of Culture, Tourism, Commerce and Sports
Tournaments are the core of the e-sports industry, around which a series of industrial layouts can be carried out. According to the Measures, Baiyun District provides strong support for the establishment of e-sports clubs, the hosting of e-sports tournaments, and the construction of e-sports venues.
Article 4 of the Measures specifies that well-known international and national e-sports clubs that set up in Baiyun District, adopt team names with “Guangzhou” or “Guangzhou Baiyun” and participate in international and national top-level professional tournaments as well as related publicity activities will receive an annual subsidy of 2 million yuan. This measure can not only help clubs reduce operational costs, but also promote Baiyun’s e-sports industry to a wider audience.
If clubs achieve excellent results (top four) in domestic and international top-level tournaments, they can additionally obtain graded support rewards. Clubs that win the championship in the finals of international top-level professional tournaments will be awarded 2 million yuan, while those that claim the title in the national annual top-level tournaments will receive a 1.5 million yuan reward. This makes settling in Baiyun more attractive for top-tier clubs.
Article 5 of the Measures clearly states that the organizers or undertakers of the finals of international top-level professional e-sports tournaments held in Baiyun District can receive an annual subsidy of up to 3 million yuan. For the finals of national annual top-level e-sports tournaments introduced and held in the district, the organizers or undertakers can get an annual subsidy of up to 2 million yuan. Baiyun District vigorously supports the introduction and hosting of e-sports tournaments, aiming to ignite a new engine of consumption through the tournament economy and drive the whole-chain consumption of “catering, accommodation, transportation, tourism and shopping”.
E-sports venues are the main venues for holding tournaments. To encourage e-sports venues to continuously optimize hardware facilities and improve operational service levels, Article 7 of the Measures stipulates that newly-built or renovated professional e-sports venues that meet the standards of international, national and provincial tournaments will be granted a maximum subsidy of 5 million yuan. Professional e-sports venues with a capacity of 600 seats or more that host 30 or more tournaments each year can receive an annual operational subsidy of up to 2 million yuan for their operators.
Policy Support Covers the Entire E-sports Industry Chain
In addition to supporting the introduction of enterprises, clubs and tournaments, the Measures issued by Baiyun District also expand the scope of policy support to cover the entire e-sports industry chain, including “e-sports + exhibitions”, university and talent support, and e-sports media support.
Relying on exhibition resources such as the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center and the Guangzhou Airport Economic Zone Expo Center, Baiyun District will provide an annual subsidy of up to 200,000 yuan for each international and national high-level e-sports industry exhibition and other major events held in the district. This will promote the in-depth integration of e-sports and exhibition industries and expand the industrial value boundary.
Baiyun District also supports universities and vocational colleges in the district to set up e-sports-related majors, providing a one-time subsidy of up to 500,000 yuan. For high-end talents introduced, such as championship players of international and domestic tournaments and managers of well-known clubs, supporting services will be provided in accordance with the talent policies of Baiyun District, so as to reserve core talents for tournament operation, commentary and technical support for the district’s e-sports industry.
Baiyun District also aims to turn on the traffic “spotlight” by supporting e-sports media. Enterprises or social organizations engaged in e-sports live streaming platforms and e-sports tournament production and broadcasting centers in Baiyun District will be given a one-time operational subsidy of up to 200,000 yuan, so as to expand the influence of Baiyun’s e-sports industry.
A relevant person in charge of the District Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports said that the Measures are the first special support policy issued by Baiyun District for the e-sports industry. It accurately aligns with the arrangements of higher-level authorities and industrial demands, fills the gap in regional e-sports industry policies, and clears the “last mile” for the implementation of provincial and municipal policies. With the Guangzhou International E-sports Center as the core, Baiyun District will further promote the in-depth integration of the e-sports industry with culture, tourism, commerce and sports industries, help build a solid and high-quality 10-billion-yuan cultural and creative industrial cluster, and inject new impetus into the high-quality development of the regional economy.
