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INTERVIEW: Star Navigation $SNA.ca Discusses Sale of Five STAR-A.D.S.® Systems To AlMasria Universal Airlines

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 1:42 PM on Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Pyrogenesis $PYR.ca Announces Successful Completion of the Previously Announced Zinc Paid-for-demonstration of DROSRITE™ in India; Commercial Application Confirmed

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:46 AM on Monday, December 3rd, 2018

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  • Further to a Press Release dated October 25th, 2018, the zinc paid-for-demonstration of DROSRITE™ system is now complete, and the results confirm PyroGenesis’ DROSRITE™ System’s commercial application to zinc dross.
  • The Client is one of India’s biggest primary smelters and has an estimated need of upwards of ten (10) Systems within its umbrella of companies.

MONTREAL, Dec. 03, 2018 — PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF), a TSX Venture 50® high-tech company, (the “Company”, the “Corporation” or “PyroGenesis”) a Company that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma atomized metal powder, plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch products, is pleased to announce today that, further to a Press Release dated October 25th, 2018, the zinc paid-for-demonstration of DROSRITE™ system (the “System”) is now complete, and the results confirm PyroGenesis’ DROSRITE™ System’s commercial application to zinc dross. The Client is one of India’s biggest primary smelters and has an estimated need of upwards of ten (10) Systems within its umbrella of companies.

The tests have been completed and demonstrate that DROSRITE™ is successful in recovering 98% of metal from zinc dross. This is comparable to that from the application of DROSRITE™ to aluminum dross. The analyses were conducted independently by the Client. The results indicate that the quality of the zinc is excellent, and the contaminants in the residue, such as chlorides, are significantly reduced. In addition, the System is easier to operate with zinc, when compared to aluminum, due to the lower melting point of zinc.

“We are buoyed by these results,” said Mr. Alex Pascali, Business Development Manager of PyroGenesis. “DROSRITE™ is clearly attracting a lot of attention, specifically with respect to tolling. As has been mentioned, we are in several strategic discussions with smelters, and after our recent business development trip to Europe and Asia, this has accelerated. We must, at some point, consider offering only DROSRITE™ tolling services, given the recurring benefits of such a strategy.”

“These zinc dross results, together with our recent success in the aluminum dross market, confirm that our proprietary DROSRITE™ System is a game changer,” said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. “Not only have we proven the commercial application of PyroGenesis’ DROSRITE™ System to aluminum dross, but we have, today, demonstrated the same for zinc dross, which significantly increases the value of the Company’s DROSRITE™ System.”

With the successful completion of this zinc demonstration, PyroGenesis can now target zinc smelters around the world. Of note, the price of zinc is approximately 33% higher than that of aluminum.

PyroGenesis’ DROSRITE™ System is a salt-free, cost-effective, sustainable process for maximizing metal recovery from dross, a waste generated in the metallurgical industry. PyroGenesis’ patented process avoids costly loss of metal while reducing a smelter’s carbon footprint and energy consumption, providing an impressive return on investment. The System has been designed to process and recover valuable metal such as aluminum, zinc and copper from dross.

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a TSX Venture 50® high-tech company, is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes and products. We provide engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO 9001:2015 certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words “may”, “plan”, “will”, “estimate”, “continue”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “in the process” and other similar expressions which constitute “forward- looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation’s current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Corporation’s ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com, or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

For further information please contact: Clémence Bertrand-Bourlaud, Marketing Manager/ Investor Relations, Phone: (514) 937-0002, E-mail: [email protected]

RELATED LINKS: http://www.pyrogenesis.com/

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL Signs Affiliate Marketing Agreement with Global Speedrun Association $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:42 AM on Monday, December 3rd, 2018

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  • Announced the signing of an Affiliate Marketing Agreement with Global Speedrun Association, which hosts and administrates races on a broad variety of speedrun games, most notably Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Odyssey, across their three Twitch channels
  • As the first platform to offer wagering for speedrunning, this agreement is another milestone for vie.gg, the world’s first and most transparent esports betting exchange.

ST. MARY’S, Antigua, Dec. 03, 2018 – Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (GMBL:OTCQB) (or the “Company”), a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming, is pleased to announce the signing of an Affiliate Marketing Agreement with Global Speedrun Association (“GSA”), which hosts and administrates races on a broad variety of speedrun games, most notably Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Odyssey, across their three Twitch channels.  As the first platform to offer wagering for speedrunning, this agreement is another milestone for vie.gg, the world’s first and most transparent esports betting exchange.

GLOBAL SPEEDRUNNING COMMUNITY GROWING RAPIDLY

GSA is a relatively new company dedicated to pushing speedrunning into the mainstream and helping speedrunners achieve the same success that esports athletes now enjoy.  Despite its relatively recent entrance into the speedrunning space, GSA has generated impressive traffic with 860,000 views from 3 Twitch.tv channels over the last 30 days.  More importantly, GSA is growing rapidly and this partnership with VIE.gg will only serve to help accelerate that growth.

The global speedrunning community is growing at a very fast pace, with single events raising over $2,000,000 for charity in 2018, and is expected to continue growing at a very rapid pace for years to come. As the premier P2P betting platform for speedrunning, VIE now gives fans the ability to be on their favourite players, which will serve to broaden the fan base and their attention times, as well as, help attract the top players in the world, including top esports players with an affinity for speedrunning.

Brian Cordry, Head of Esports at Esports Entertainment Group, stated, “Groups like GSA help raise the standard of production quality and push speedrunning forward. We love speedrunners and we love what GSA is doing. I expect speedrunning to grow exponentially and that is why it is so important for Esports Entertainment Group to partner with the likes of GSA for the long term. Together, we will help push speedrunning to the heights that esports is currently achieving.”

Steven Adams, Chief Executive Officer at Global Speedrun Association stated, “GSA is the premier organized speedrunning league and our goal is to increase the consistent quality of our broadcasts and competitions by working with VIE in 2018 and beyond.  The key differences this relationship will make are being able to fund larger prize pools for our leagues and tournaments to catalyze higher levels of competition, as well as, attracting and compensating key people that make our broadcasts so entertaining, such as great commentators, video editors and other GSA staff who will be able to increase the output and quality of their productions. Working together will help push speedrunning to new heights and help grow this budding sector of the video game industry, which will lead to betting growth on VIE. Looking forward to the future!”

VIE.GG

vie.gg offers bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global esports audience, excluding jurisdictions that prohibit online gambling. vie.gg features wagering on the following esports games:

  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)
  • League of Legends
  • Dota 2
  • Call of Duty
  • Overwatch
  • PUBG
  • Hearthstone
  • StarCraft II

This press release is available on our Online Investor Relations Community for shareholders and potential shareholders to ask questions, receive answers and collaborate with management in a fully moderated forum at https://agoracom.com/ir/EsportsEntertainmentGroup

RedChip investor relations Esports Entertainment Group Investor Page:
http://www.gmblinfo.com

About Esports Entertainment Group

Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. is a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming. Esports Entertainment offers bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secure platform to the global esports audience at vie.gg.  In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player mobile and PC video game tournaments for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry professionals and technical experts from the online gambling and the video game industries, and esports. The Company holds licenses to conduct online gambling and 18+ gaming on a global basis in Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. The Company maintains offices in Antigua, Curacao and Warsaw, Poland. Esports Entertainment common stock is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol GMBL.  For more information visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

Contact:

Corporate Finance
1-268-562-9111
[email protected]

Media & Investor Relations Inquiries
AGORACOM
[email protected]
http://agoracom.com/ir/eSportsEntertainmentGroup

U.S. Investor Relations 
RedChip
Dave Gentry
407-491-4498
[email protected]

Tetra Natural Health $TBP.ca Will Deliver 20 containers of #Hemp Energy Drink to Meet Consumer Demand $AERO $CBDS $CGRW $GBLX

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:28 AM on Monday, December 3rd, 2018

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  • Announces the delivery of twenty containers, more than 1.7 million cans of its product Hemp Energy Drink,
    • the first hemp energy drink in Canada, to meet growing demand in Canada and to make Hemp Energy Drink available across all regions of the country.

ORLEANS, Ontario, Dec. 03, 2018 — Tetra Natural Heath, a subsidiary of Tetra Bio-Pharma (TSX VENTURE: TBP) (OTCQB: TBPMF), announces the delivery of twenty containers, more than 1.7 million cans of its product Hemp Energy Drink, the first hemp energy drink in Canada, to meet growing demand in Canada and to make Hemp Energy Drink available across all regions of the country.

Hemp Energy Drink available in 3 flavours: Classic, Mango and Raspberry

Canadian consumers appreciate the qualities of Hemp Energy Drink (www.hempenergydrink.ca) that contains fewer calories and more natural ingredients than other energy drinks, and the product will be available soon everywhere in Canada in three flavors: classic, mango and raspberry.

“We are very pleased with the consumer interest for the Hemp Energy Drink since its launch. Through the agreements we have with our distribution partners, their drive and the strategy we are implementing, Canadians will soon be able to appreciate the three flavors of our cool, fresh, light, natural and 100% legal beverage,” said Richard Giguère, CEO of Tetra Natural Health.

“This 20-container delivery combined with the deployment of our distribution strategy represents an important step in our market development plan for this product over the next year. Thanks to the characteristics of our energy drink and its nutritional elements, we are confident that the Hemp Energy Drink will generate a continued enthusiasm among consumers across Canada,” added Richard Giguère.

Guy Chamberland, President and CEO of Tetra Bio-Pharma stated, “With its Hemp Energy Drink business, Tetra Natural Health will allow the corporation to achieve significant orders and sales over the coming year.  These orders demonstrate that the new team has established a viable natural health and wellness product business that will translate into significant revenues for the coming fiscal year, starting in Q1 2019.”

About Tetra Natural Health
Tetra Natural Health inc. is a subsidiary of Tetra Bio-Pharma inc. that focuses on identification, development and marketing of hemp or cannabis-based natural health products, or cannabinoids-based products authorized for sale by Health Canada.

About Tetra Bio-Pharma
Tetra Bio-Pharma (TSX-V: TBP) (OTCQB: TBPMF) is a biopharmaceutical leader in cannabinoid- based drug discovery and development with a Health Canada approved, and FDA reviewed, clinical program aimed at bringing novel prescription drugs and treatments to patients and their healthcare providers. The Company has several subsidiaries engaged in the development of an advanced and growing pipeline of Bio Pharmaceuticals, Natural Health and Veterinary Products containing cannabis and other medicinal plant-based elements. With patients at the core of what we do, Tetra Bio-Pharma is focused on providing rigorous scientific validation and safety data required for inclusion into the existing bio pharma industry by regulators, physicians and insurance companies.
For more information visit: www.tetrabiopharma.com

Source: Tetra Bio-Pharma

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements

Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words “may”, “will”, “should”, “continue”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “believe”, “intend”, “plan” or “project” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company’s business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, the success of the Company’s research and development strategies, including this trial, the ability to obtain orphan drug status, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion and uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the timing of clinical trials, the timing and outcomes of regulatory or intellectual property decisions, the success of various product launches including the one discussed in this release, and other risks disclosed in the Company’s public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. While no definitive documentation has yet been signed by the parties and there is no certainty that such documentation will be signed. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

For more information, please contact:
Richard Giguère
CEO
Tetra Natural Health
T 348-899-7575 ext.210
[email protected]

Media Contact
Daniel Granger
ACJ Communication
T. 514 840-7990
M. 514 232 1556
[email protected]

Charlotte Blanche
T. 514 840-1235 poste 7772
M. 514 914-0593
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed89d9c7-7309-4cda-88cb-c3033a65805b

Tetra Bio-Pharma $TBP.ca Closes Financing With Aphria Inc. $APHA $AERO $CBDS $CGRW $GBLX

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:33 PM on Friday, November 30th, 2018

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  • With increased cash Tetra will ramp up Drug Development Activities
  • Tetra issued to Aphria (6,900,000) units,
    • with each unit being comprised of one Class A common share of Tetra (a “Common Share”) and one Common Share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”), at a price of $1.03 per unit

ORLEANS, Ontario, Nov. 30, 2018 — Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc (“Tetra” or “TBP”), (TSX VENTURE: TBP) (OTCQB: TBPMF), has closed a private placement of units (the “Private Placement”) with its strategic partner Aphria Inc. (“Aphria”) (TSX: APHA) (NYSE: APHA). Under the Private Placement, Tetra issued to Aphria (6,900,000) units (the “Units”), with each unit being comprised of one Class A common share of Tetra (a “Common Share”) and one Common Share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”), at a price of $1.03 per unit, which is the closing price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange on November 28, 2018, for gross proceeds of $7,107,000. Each warrant will entitle Aphria to purchase one full common share at a price of $1.29 per Common Share for a period of 36 months expiring November 2021 subject to acceleration in certain circumstances. As part of the transaction, and in order for Aphria to attain 19.9%, Tetra Co-Founders, Andre Rancourt and Dr. Guy Chamberland, CEO and CSO of Tetra have agreed to sell 5 million shares each to Aphria. Following this sale Dr. Chamberland and Mr. Rancourt will continue to hold 5 million shares each as the company moves forward.

Dr. Guy Chamberland, CEO and CSO of Tetra Bio-Pharma stated, “Aphria has been a major strategic partner since the inception of Tetra. Their decision to substantially increase their holding in our company illustrates their confidence in our business model which is focused on taking a pharmaceutical pathway to the commercialization of cannabis and cannabinoid-derived products. The Aphria investment will enable Tetra to increase drug development activities, including in the USA, over the coming months. As for the sale of my shares to Aphria, this divestiture was done to accommodate Aphria and for personal tax and estate planning purposes following the sale of PhytoPain Pharma Inc., earlier this year. I continue to be one of the company’s major shareholders, and I am fully committed to executing Tetra’s business plan.”

“As a leader in the global cannabis industry, Aphria is committed to fostering the research, development and commercialization of medical cannabis treatments and applications with our valued strategic partners,” said Vic Neufeld, CEO of Aphria. “With this investment, we are pleased to deepen our long-standing relationship with Tetra Bio-Pharma as they pursue critical research and clinical trials with the potential to bring notable advances to cannabis and cannabinoid-derived pharmaceutical products.”

About Aphria Inc.
Aphria is a leading global cannabis company driven by an unrelenting commitment to our people, product quality, and innovation. Headquartered in Leamington, Ontario – the green house capital of Canada – Aphria has been setting the standard for the low-cost production of safe, clean, and pure pharmaceutical-grade cannabis at scale, grown in the most natural conditions possible. Focusing on untapped opportunities and backed by the latest technologies, Aphria is committed to bringing breakthrough innovation to the global cannabis market. The Company’s portfolio of brands is grounded in expertly-researched consumer insights designed to meet the needs of every consumer segment. Rooted in our founders’ multi-generational expertise in commercial agriculture, Aphria dries sustainable long-term shareholder value through a diversified approach to innovation, strategic partnerships, and global expansion, with a presence in more than 10 countries across 5 continents.

For more information, visit: www.aphria.ca

About Tetra Bio-Pharma
Tetra Bio-Pharma (TSX-V: TBP) (OTCQB: TBPMF) is a biopharmaceutical leader in cannabinoid-based drug discovery and development with a Health Canada approved, and FDA reviewed, clinical program aimed at bringing novel prescription drugs and treatments to patients and their healthcare providers. The Company has several subsidiaries engaged in the development of an advanced and growing pipeline of Bio Pharmaceuticals, Natural Health and Veterinary Products containing cannabis and other medicinal plant-based elements. With patients at the core of what we do, Tetra Bio-Pharma is focused on providing rigorous scientific validation and safety data required for inclusion into the existing bio pharma industry by regulators, physicians and insurance companies.

For more information visit: www.tetrabiopharma.com

Source: Tetra Bio-Pharma

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements
Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words “may”, “will”, “should”, “continue”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “believe”, “intend”, “plan” or “project” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company’s business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, the success of the Company’s research and development strategies, the success of this joint venture, the ability to obtain orphan drug status, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion and uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the timing of clinical trials, the timing and outcomes of regulatory or intellectual property decisions and other risks disclosed in the Company’s public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. While no definitive documentation has yet been signed by the parties and there is no certainty that such documentation will be signed. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

For further information, please contact Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc.
Robert Bechard
Executive Vice-President Corporate Development and Licensing
514-817-2514
[email protected]

Media Contact
energi PR
Carol Levine Stephanie Engel
514-288-8500 ext. 226 416-425-9143 ext. 209
[email protected] [email protected]

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – Broadcast’s role in making #Esports mainstream $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:32 PM on Friday, November 30th, 2018

SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment Group (GMBL:OTCQB) The esports betting site trusted by over 176 esports teams from around the world. Click here for more information.

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  • The esports business is on track to be a billion dollar industry, with millions of participants and viewers, but industry leaders have called for more partnerships and government investment.
  • The UK’s centre piece for business and entertainment growth is esports according to Riot Games UK Head of esports Mo Fadl, who believes broadcasters are the key to helping the esports movement grow.

Esports World Championship Final 2018

“How can we project our sport into the real world?” Fadl asked delegates at the recent Ukie parliamentary event in London.

Fadl called for partnerships and collaboration, pointing to the annual growth in the UK alone as a reason why it should be taken seriously.

In 2017, the global esports market was valued at $493 million, with Statista estimating the global esports market revenue to reach $1.65 billion by 2020 based on 40% year-on-year pace of growth.

“It is critical to build trust with the community by learning what matters to them and how they want to consume content” – Mo Fadl

Fadl told IBC365: “esports and traditional broadcasters come from different worlds built on different systems, so there’s an inevitable culture clash when they try to work together, but ultimately these issues should be surmountable.

“It is critical to build trust with the community by learning what matters to them and how they want to consume content, rather than trying to change the way they do things in order to fit current models.”

The esports industry continues to grow with competitive gaming championships attracting billions of viewers and new job opportunities from game developers to professional players.

Last month the trade body for the UK’s games and interactive entertainment industry (Ukie) hosted an event at the Palace of Westminster, with members of Parliament invited to attend to learn the scale of the esports business.

Labour MP and Chair of Video Games and esports Alex Sobel described esports as ”a crucial part of the UK economy.” He pledged his commitment to the industry during the event and spoke about raising the UK’s status as the fifth largest gaming market globally.

There are 33 million gamers in the UK and 12 million of those using a PC, the market continues to grow in double digits. According to Sobel, the next step is focussing on investment for growth and partnerships with broadcasters.

Last month, the British Film Institute (BFI) published its Screen Business report analysis of the economic impact of the screen sector tax reliefs in the UK. Based on data from 2016, it demonstrated the growing scale of the UK games industry which contributed £1.52 billion gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2016 with numbers rising to support 47,620 jobs and contributing a total of £2.87 billion in GVA for 2018.

According to the report, “esports is a new, rapidly-growing element of the games sector, which involves the broadcast of games being played competitively with large prizes and audiences. It has expanded rapidly in recent years and is becoming an emerging but significant new component of the industry.”

Building a bridge
Partnerships and collaborations are already blossoming; Riot Games has partnered with Marvel Entertainment in a new venture for a series of graphic novels based on the League of Legends game set for release in May 2019. While Sky and ITV are among the traditional broadcasters that have targeted eSport collaborations along with new native esports platforms such as Twitch and Ginx. And UK mobile operator EE has launched a mobile gaming tournament. The EE Mobile Series winner will gain a position in the Fnatic esports team, the largest in the UK with the tournament played in three stages the final will be live from the BT Sport London studio on 20th January 2019.

The first competition of its kind, the tournament is set to be broadcast on all major streaming platforms with the winner receiving a full-time competitive salary, training and their own gaming kit.

EE Director of Brand Marketing Pete Jeavons said: “A strong and reliable mobile connection is critical for mobile gamers, and with superfast 4G in more places than any other operator, EE is committed to providing an awesome gaming experience wherever our customers go.

“We’ve partnered with OnePlus and esports pioneer, Fnatic, to create the ultimate mobile gaming competition.”

2018 World Championship Finals: Incheon Munhak Stadium, South Korea

Fnatic are a competitive gaming team with a mission to bring esports into every household. This partnership is certainly a step in the right direction to where the industry sees collaboration heading.

Professional esports gamer Michael O’Dell, Founder and General Manager of Dignitas, one of the biggest eSport teams to emerge from the UK said: “We need bigger tournaments in the UK but this requires parliamentary uptake with government and local authorities.”

He said the future of esports is being able to watch a competition on TV as part of his Sky package.

O’Dell told IBC365: “esports has been around for 20 years or so; you are now going to see some fast developments across all levels from top gamers to school level, it is very exciting.”

He noted that collaborating with broadcasters wouldn’t impact the authenticity of the eSporting community, however, attracting greater interest and championing younger audiences to pursue careers within the community.

Esports broadcaster Znipe.TV has expanded its portfolio announcing last month it will begin a major broadcasting deal with PGL esports tournament organiser, offering audiences player POVs, match highlights and team features.

It began broadcasting Dota 2 from Kuala Lumpur earlier this month with multi-perspective broadcasting. The pay-per-view model saw great success with users willing to pay for a better experience, according to Znipe Chief Executive and Co-Founder Erik Ã…kerfeldt.

He said: “PGL plays an important role in opening doors to a wider audience of multiple game titles and together we can make sure that we deliver fantastic eSport tailored to a global audience.”

“We need to embrace long term thinking in how we do business; it will make everyone more successful” – Mo Fadl

Fadl was clear stating partnerships are key for all to learn and grow together rather than “rinsing one another” for one or two events.

He said: “There is not always a lot of long-term planning in esports, with a tendency to work from one event to another, or at a maximum from year to year.

“As we start to build towards a more long-term horizon, we need to embrace long term thinking in how we do business. It will make everyone more successful.”

Source: https://www.ibc.org/content-management/broadcasts-role-in-making-esports-mainstream-/3473.article

 

Betteru Education Corp. $BTRU.ca – E-learning is changing #India’s mindscape #adtech $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:53 PM on Thursday, November 29th, 2018

SPONSOR: Betteru Education Corp. BTRU: TSX-V Connecting global leading educators to the mass population of India. BetterU Education has ability to reach 100 MILLION potential learners each week. Click here to learn more

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  • Vamsi Krishna, CEO & co-founder of Vedantu, told Mint that his Bangalore-based e-learning company had managed to raise  $11 million in a Series B funding round
  • Vedantu, an interactive online tutoring platform where teachers provide school tuitions to students over the internet, using a real-time virtual learning environment named WAVE, a technology built in-house

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On November 24, 2018,  Vamsi Krishna, CEO & co-founder of Vedantu, told Mint that his Bangalore-based e-learning company had managed to raise  $11 million in a Series B funding round. Vedantu is of course  an interactive online tutoring platform where teachers provide school tuitions to students over the internet, using a real-time virtual learning environment named WAVE, a technology built in-house.

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Vedantu, which means ‘knowledge network,’ offers learning flexibility with group sessions costing Rs 50-150 and a private session priced at Rs300-600. The fresh repository of funding will help the company expand and penetrate tier 2 and tier 3 where their group sessions are already doing well. The app already services 80 cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi, and also caters to students from 36 countries and 1,200 cities, Vedantu at present tutors students from 6th to 12th grade and visualises in the near future, its entry into the GMAT and GRE competitive space.

And in a technological development initiative that will truly push e-learning beyond the regular methodolgies, the company will aim to make the sessions more personalized by tracking the student’s attention span and concept understanding using machine learning, facial recognition etc.

In this Moneycontrol Deep Dive podcast, we will examine the boom in the e-learning business-scape in India.

According a joint study by Google and KPMG, the online education sector in India is estimated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 52 percent to $1.96 billion by 2021. But coming back to the Vedantu story.

Krishna is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and founded the company in 2014 with Anand Prakash and Pulkit Jain. Mint recalls how they had previously co-founded Lakshya where they also taught.

Even though, Lakshya mentored more than 10,000 students and trained more than 200 teachers, its brick-and-mortar coaching center, was sold to MT Educare Ltd in 2012.

Krishna told Mint, “Even though Vendantu is a four-year-old company, the idea was born while we were at Lakshya. We wanted to bring good teaching to every student, which would have taken a very long time in a brick-and-mortar setting. So we decided to sell Lakshya and develop the tech for our new company,”

The idea that brick and mortar structures are obsolete for expansive learning is at the core of the e-learning boom in India.

Learning without barriers

 Not just Vedantu, but most e-learning businesses including Byju’s (Think & Learn Pvt. Ltd) and Unacademy (Sorting Hat Technologies Pvt. Ltd) understand the limitations of conventional teaching and learning and the potential of technology driven educational models that can reinvent themselves to keep up with the evolving needs of the students.

Technology has undoubtedly a wider reach than brick and mortal structures and says Mint, “Investors are betting big on such content start-ups because they can reach the 200-300 million new internet users from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. More than a dozen content deals that together amount to over $400 million are expected to be closed before the end of the year.”

And Vedantu is not the only one to benefit from this boom. Unacademy has raised a neat $21 million in a Series C round and Byju’s is set to raise $200-300 million from private equity giant General Atlantic. Mint reported in September. We quote, “In addition, Byju’s is expected to be valued at $3.5 billion, which will make it India’s fourth most valuable start-up behind digital payments firm Paytm (One97 Communications Pvt. Ltd), cab-hailing service Ola, and budget hotel chain Oyo Rooms.”

Low investment, high returns

 The upsurge in e-learning enterprises could partly be attributed to inexpensive data costs and the increased access  to high-speed internet  and with half a billion more Indians expected to be online for the first time in the near future , there is no reason to think small.

Others big dreamers in this space apart from Vedantu, Byjus and Unacademy are Meritnation, Cuemath and Toppr. The numbers speak for themselves.

Post the reports in October that e-learning giant Byju’s may achieve 4th rank in India’s startups class, founder Byju Raveendran claimed his company was among the few profitable Indian unicorns. What is a unicorn in business terms?

Well, it is a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion. The term was coined in 2013 by venture capitalist Aileen Lee, choosing the mythical animal to represent the statistical rarity of such successful ventures. And Raveendran was not being immodest because in June, the company  touched ₹100 crore in monthly revenue and raised its annual revenue target to ₹ 1,400 crore.

The brand’s burgeoning success is now a Harvard Business School case study.

Mint had first reported in July and September that Byju’s was in talks to raise fresh funds at a valuation of over $2 billion. Since then, investor demand has increased even more.

“Byju’s is part of a small but growing number of tech startups that have rapidly grown their businesses and consistently attracted blue-chip investors. In July 2017, Byju’s raised about $40 million from Tencent Holdings Ltd, months after raising $30 million from Verlinvest. S

ince starting out in 2008, Byju’s has raised over $240 million from Tencent, Verlinvest, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partnersand Aarin Capital, among others,” said Mint.

Bridging the infrastructure and quality divide

 It goes without saying that that education in India has not dispersed quality in equal proportions.  As Roman Saini, co-­founder and chief educator of Unacademy wrote in the Hindustan Times on November 8, 2018 and we quote, “The education divide in India with respect to quality and accessibility has existed for far too long. It is difficult for the existing physical infrastructure to meet the learning needs of the burgeoning population of our country which will touch 1.5 billion by 2030 and 1.7 billion by 2050 (equal to the population of China and USA combined). Digital is gaining acceptance across numerous sectors and it is only right that the education sector too reaps benefits of this digital transformation.”

As he points out, there are barriers created by inadequate infrastructure, concentrated content and language issues that prevent large numbers of knowledge-hungry demographics from the benefits of a global education.

As he says, “It is impossible to have great teachers in each and every village/district in India. Similarly, the best teachers should not be restricted to certain institutes of the world. This is where e-learning comes in. It can level the playing field for all students. Students, in both rural and urban areas, can get access to the best learning resources, learn at their own pace and in the comfort of their own homes. Another key advantage with e-learning is that it is much easier to design courses with the latest online reference material than publishing crores of books.”

The possibility that online education could benefit India’s youth, that forms more than 50% of the population, is exciting for e-learning entrepreneurs, educators and potential learners.

New methods of teaching

 Class room learning has its benefits and drawbacks but e-learning expands the scope, depth and reach of information with tools like gamification, that Roman says will ensure in the future that the learning process is more interactive and fulfilling.

And e-learning does not have to be impersonal because live online interaction between the students and educators can offer attention and connection that is not just virtual.

Roman says, “The role of AI and technology in all of this will be huge. AI Bots can act as study assistants that will accompany you along your learning journey. It will know your strengths and weakness inside out and will even recommend what you should read on a given day to maximise your learning outcomes.”

Byju Raveendran, of Byju’s believes e-learning can develop and inculcate personal initiative in students and that bodes well for their future success as opposed to the “spoon feeding” that conventional education dispenses.

He is a living example of personal initiative and told Mint in April 2017, that even when he was not an education entrepreneur, he was known for pre-exam hacks and short cuts that made him an exceptional student.

And good students more often than not turn out to be good educators.

After nailing a perfect score in CAT twice and after turning down interview calls from all the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and working abroad for a couple of years, he decided to take six months out to see what would happen if  what he had learnt was taught with a structure.

So successful was his module, recalls Mint, that Raveendran started conducting workshops on the weekend, with the classes growing in popularity. When one classroom wasn’t enough to accommodate students, he booked an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,200. From jetsetting across India to teach, he decided to take his modules to students and a success story was born in 2011.

At the core of his teaching module and business model is not derivation but independence, logic and life skills.  Soon he started using a video format. Today as Mint informed, his high-production-value videos and content caters to the K-12 (kindergarten-Class XII) segment, with more than 500 members in the research and development team.

Big numbers that keep getting bigger

 The e-learning entrepreneurs know that they are on to something. As Mint reported, “There are about 20 million children between Classes VI and XII in India who have access to the Internet and take private coaching classes, which translates to an addressable market opportunity of about $2.5 billion, according to research by consulting firm RedSeer Consulting.”

Not surprising then that since launching in 2015, the Byju’s app has had more than six million downloads. It had 3,20,000 active users as of November last year. The number of people who buy its premium service is growing every month, claims the firm.

The paper also quotes Kunal Walia, founder and managing partner at Khetal Advisors, a Bengaluru-based investment bank that has worked with multiple education start-ups, “A great company will be converting anywhere around 8-12 percent of people who try out their app. 8-12 percent is a fairly high number given the fact that in education your ticket sizes are larger as well. You’re no longer selling a Rs500-product or a Rs 200-product, you’re selling a product which runs into thousands of rupees. Also, with education, unlike most of the sectors, the repeat rates are very high. For example, a student would start with Byju’s in the sixth standard or seventh, so Byju’s is looking at a four-year or seven-year timeline in certain cases, where they can continue to tap into the same user.”

The B2C gameplan

 Not just Byju’s, but many successful e- learning initiatives have gauged the business-to-consumer (B2C) market effectively by making their services user and cost friendly so that both children and parents are convinced by the apps ability to deliver and engage.

Personalising virtual learning is a big part of that. Byju’s for instance has designed personalized learning through what it calls a “knowledge graph”. Mint informs that with this, the app learns which concepts a student may need more practice at, and adjusts learning plans accordingly.

Raveendran also told Mint and we quote, “Our product and go-to-market are both targeted at students. B2C is our only channel. We’re not trying to change the system. It can easily coexist with the system. It’s not a replacement of teachers.”

Byju’s offline presence also helped in gaining parents’ trust in the brand, according to Walia of Khetal Advisors.Byju’s dream is to take education deeper and try and bridge India’s rural and urban divide and to create a learning culture where students learn and not just memorize. And develop a life-long thirst for knowledge that was earlier restricted by the fear of exams.  The Byju’s smartphone app—and portal apart from offering study material for classes 4-12, also offers help to succeed at competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CAT, IAS, GRE and GMAT.

The positively disruptive force of e-learning

 In August this year, Priya Singh wrote in Sunday Guardian just how digital technology has proved to be a disruptive force for the education sector, changing the old paradigms of teaching and helping create the climate for more personalised forms of learning.

The reason why e-learning apps are growing popular in India is because they are challenging one dimensional teaching and  emphasising “method” over the expertise of teachers, she wrote and added, “According to this new model of education, driven for the most part by digital technology, the teacher is sidelined, as content—as learning—takes centre stage.”

She also cites Byju’s success to prove her point, she cites the numbers that deserve to be repeated here. The platform now has over 22 million registered users, 1.4 million paid subscribers, an addition of 1.5 million registered users every month, more than 100% growth and the pride of becoming the first Asian company to get investment from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic organisation founded by Facebook’s boss Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. And all this was achieved in just three years.

The article informs also how the disruptive presence of technology has also educated teachers to adapt to the changing learning environment.

Not surprisingly then some platforms are not content with offering supplementary modules but also short-term degree courses.

We quote, “One such example is Simplilearn, an online certification and training platform with offices in Bangalore. They offer online courses in cyber security, cloud computing, project management, digital marketing and data science among other subjects. “

The possibilities of learning online are inexhaustible and  Coursera, a California-based online learning platform that offers certified courses from the world’s best universities—including Yale, Princeton and Stanford—has been adding rapidly to its subscriber base in India, informs the piece.

Raghav Gupta, Director, India and APAC, Coursera told the Sunday Guardian, “India has a lot to gain from online learning. About one million people enter the workforce every month with no guarantee that they will have the competencies to succeed in jobs of the future. Even as technology renders many skills obsolete, online learning will be the transformative force that empowers millions to acquire new skills. We see this trend reflected in our growth in India. We now have 3.3 million Indian learners on the platform, while adding 60,000 new users every month. Our platform is giving employers and professionals the much-needed opportunity to access the best and most relevant content the world has to offer and learn the skills needed to compete in the new economy.” Unquote.

Another big player, says the piece, is edX, a “massive open online course” (MOOC) platform, founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. It offers courses on subjects like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, business and management, leadership, soft skills, and so on.

We quote Amit Goyal, Head, India and South East Asia, edX, “Lack of employer recognition and academic credits are the sonic barriers of online learning in India and the world. Companies like edX are now offering university credits for their online programmes. For example, edX credit-backed MicroMasters programs can be taken completely online, and every programme leads to an on-campus master’s level credential at an accelerated and cost-efficient manner. Students can save approximately 20-50% of their on-campus degree time and money after completing edX MicroMasters programme.”

India incidentally forms the second largest learner base for edX, after the USA.

And Goyal believes, e-learning is going to bridge the digital divide in India and that educational institutes who may not afford high-quality teachers can increase their teaching standards by referring to online courses taught by world-class professors and adopt flip-learning pedagogy.

Observers and most e-learning businesses know that classroom learning cannot be replaced but it can be updated.

The piece quotes Divya Gokulnath of Byju’s, “Technology has played a key role in disrupting this sector and will continue to shape the teacher-student relationship by offering better accessibility, distribution and formats of delivery.” The combined power of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics, she says will reshape learning.

The potential for growth is endless

 A piece published in India Today by Varun Saxena, Founder, Career Anna another online learning platform cited a report by KPMG, that the Indian online education industry will register a 6X growth in 2021. From 1.6 million users in 2016, it will grow to 9.6 million users by 2021. It will also be worth $1.96 billion.

“Projections show that the e-learning market worldwide is forecast to surpass 243 billion US dollars by 2022. It clearly shows that e-learning has become a global trend, and more and more people are preferring it over traditional classrooms,” said the article.

One reason for this shift, according to Varun is that the number of jobs involving routine skills — both physical and cognitive — is shrinking, and with increasing automation, newer opportunities are being created every day.

We quote, “Co-branded courses with corporates and educational institutes having live industry projects, real-time mentoring and peer to peer interactions on an online platform, with an exposure to connect with anyone across the globe interested in a same skill set is another main reason to help online learning score a brownie point over traditional learning which limits one to brick and mortar, or to a particular location and city.”

The dream of learning from a Harvard professor in a small Indian town, no longer seems impossible.

Varun sums it up, “Online learning is hence, steadily disrupting the hackneyed chalk and talk’ education system in India because of the immense benefits it has to offer.” Unquote.

The need to connect the unconnected

 Digital education however must expand beyond eager urban markets to regions that do not have ready internet accessibility.

As YourStory stated in a November piece this year, “The Internet has helped us in many ways – from education to entertainment. But what about areas that cannot connect to the internet?”

The answer, the piece informs is Chhota Internet – a Content Access Management Device (CAMD) that can help make education accessible to all.

“In a district of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, 197 upper primary schools will adopt Chhota Internet to increase learning opportunities for their students. Using this, the schools will be able to access better quality educational material over a WiFi network without using the internet. This digital initiative will also allow schools to focus on each student’s progress and help them design custom-based programmes to further enhance a student’s performance. Digital literacy, when harnessed in a controlled and responsible environment, can help schools find, evaluate, utilise, share and create content using information technologies and the internet.”

Inventions like Chhota Internet thus  can serve as a shot in the arm of  traditional educational system in the rural area and work past issues like lack of internet penetration, shortage of quality teachers etc.

The piece quotes Sandeep Arya, CEO and Chairman of Chhota Internet, “As rural India prepares for a tectonic change in education with the launch of digital classrooms, we need to ensure consistent implementation of digital literacy on a large-scale to ensure quality education. More of this can happen when corporations direct their CSR funds to this cause instead of solely depending upon government funding. Chhota Internet will achieve this by bringing students in rural India abreast with the rest of the world, in terms of providing access to a more advanced system of education that is loaded with the latest technological aids, paving the way for future growth via innovative technology.”

A revolution indeed is not a revolution unless it benefits the ones with the least amount of privilege and hopefully initiatives like Chhota Internet will take e-learning to the farthest reaches of a demographically and geographically diverse country like India.

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/podcast-digging-deeper-e-learning-is-changing-indias-mindscape-3235601.html

 

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Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:29 PM on Thursday, November 29th, 2018

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Check out today’s News

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How do you monetize esports? The traditional sports broadcast model is tried and true, but new approaches to engaging audiences and driving revenue are gaining traction. To learn how to get the most out of the old methods and explore the new, don’t miss this VB Live event! 

VB Staff

“What you’re seeing is a tectonic shift in viewership and consumption from the millennials and Gen Z — gaming is the preferred entertainment,” says Kent Wakeford, Co-founder and COO, Gen.G.

According to Wakeford, more than 22 percent of American millennials watch esports, which is more than the number of millennials that watch either Major League Baseball or the NHL.

And it’s a global phenomenon. If you look at the global reach which includes over 300 million viewers and enthusiasts of esports, over 50 percent of that audience is in APAC, with 15 percent in North America, about 18 percent in the EU, and the rest scattered around the world.

But as the industry has grown, the revenue model has stayed very much the same, mimicking the traditional sports template — which is why you see so many traditional sports teams moving into esports, Wakeford says. The key revenue drivers in esports are media rights, sponsorship sales, live events, merchandise, and prize winnings, but there are a number of unique and innovative areas of activation and engagement between the teams and leagues and fans in several areas.

Traditional revenue models are evolving

Media rights, for instance, is becoming a big area of change and growth recently. Wakeford points to the significant partnership that the Overwatch League formed with Twitch, setting new records for partnerships in the space, plus the partnership with ESPN for linear broadcast

These big media deals are not quite of the scope you see in the NBA and the NFL, but are significant media partnerships, really showcasing the power of the audience and the viewership for esports. But it’s not just staying at the league level.

“I think what you’re going to see is media rights growing not only with the big leagues, but also with the individual teams and the player streams,” Wakeford says. “That’s a key area of differentiation from traditional sports, where esports teams are highly engaged and doing a lot of innovative content creation through streaming platforms, through social platforms, doing IRL [in-real-life] content.”

Sponsorship is going to be the next big growth area for esports, he says.

“Every month you hear about another big brand stepping into the esports space,” Wakeford continues. “Well-known Fortune 500 brands and marketers coming into the space. That trend is going to continue, especially as you have more structure around the leagues and a more clear understanding of who the top teams are and who the top players are.”

He predicts that we’ll see a lot more brands coming in and a lot more innovation around the types of activations that teams and players and leagues will do around esports, in order to really include those brands in an authentic way in front of consumers.

Live events is another area of growth to keep an eye on, starting in 2019, but growing significantly in 2020 and beyond.

“You’re starting to see live esports events become part of the cultural fabric,” he says. “As these arenas start to come online, you’ll start to see innovative ways to provide live entertainment and live experiences for fans. Live events is just going to keep growing and growing.”

As a by-product of all of this, as the teams continue to grow and the leagues continue to grow, merchandise becomes a bigger and bigger area of growth for teams, with a number of leagues jumping into the category by creating merchandise that has an authentic feel for consumers.

But esports can still learn a number of significant things from media and broadcast.

A lot to learn still from the old world

One of the most important ways to engage fans is to tell the story of the players, by adding rich backstory, Wakeford says.

For example, if you watch ESPN or listen to podcasts, so much of the content is about individual players, the dynamics and the stories of the players, and what they’re doing. As a fan, you can engage and form a deeper connection and relationship with those players based on all the content and programming that’s been developed by the ESPNs of the world. And that’s going to start coming to the esports world, he predicts.

“As these traditional broadcasters like ESPN start to come into the market, they’ll start to tell the backstory of the players and the dynamics and the rivalries, and that will really help a lot of people start to engage at a deeper level with esports,” he explains.

The esports world already has a leg up in the digital world, with its teams and players. Many esports players stream on Twitch, and post or stream on YouTube, creating a direct relationship with their audience. It’s that direct, one-to-one relationship that’s going to further grow in the next couple of years, Wakeford says.

On the sponsorship side, one of the key things the esports world can learn from traditional sports is leveraging sponsorship packages and activations with major brands that are measurable and that fit into the way brands are used to engaging in sponsorships or buying media. There are tools being developed, whether it’s companies like Fan.AI or GumGum that are able to put a lot of data behind the sponsorships and ensure measurable outputs. Those technologies are going to really help enable the flow of sponsorship dollars into esports.

Connecting to the global market

“What you’re seeing with esports is that it is truly global,” Wakeford says. “In order to reach a global market, streaming is a great way to connect with fans, but you need to be thinking about platforms that are not just Twitch and YouTube, but may be very specific to other countries.”

Global streaming is going to be a key area of growth, and something that you don’t necessarily see with a lot of more traditional sports.

Social is also important, as is getting a foothold on platforms which have really deep engagement, a passionate fan base, and a number of ways for players to engage.

“These platforms that are connecting players with their fans are going to continue to grow esports, and it’s on a global basis, not just a regional basis.”

The future of esports

“I’m a big believer in esports,” Wakeford says. “I believe that in the future we’re going to see viewership continue to grow and surpass traditional sports, including the NFL. I think live esports events will become prevalent in every major city in the U.S.”

To learn more about the growing esports phenomenon, the rich opportunities to mine for esports gold, and where the money is coming from, don’t miss this VB Live event!

Source: https://venturebeat.com/2018/11/29/how-to-get-a-piece-of-the-growing-esports-pie-vb-live/

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Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:09 AM on Thursday, November 29th, 2018

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  • Announced the signing of an Affiliate Marketing Agreement with SpeedGaming, the largest competitive speedrunning network and the second largest speedrunning group on Twitch.tv. As the first platform to offer wagering for speedrunning
  • This agreement is another milestone for vie.gg, the world’s first and most transparent esports betting exchange

Esports Entertainment Group Signs Affiliate Marketing Agreement with SpeedGaming, The Largest Competitive Speedrunning Network

ST. MARY’S, ANTIGUA / November 29, 2018 / Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTCQB:GMBL) (or the “Company”), a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming, is pleased to announce the signing of an Affiliate Marketing Agreement with SpeedGaming, the largest competitive speedrunning network and the second largest speedrunning group on Twitch.tv. As the first platform to offer wagering for speedrunning, this agreement is another milestone for vie.gg, the world’s first and most transparent esports betting exchange.

SPEEDGAMING GLOBAL TRAFFIC NUMBERS

SpeedGaming was created by legendary speedrunner “Feasel” in 2015 as a way to give back to the speedrunning community. SpeedGaming hosts speedrunning races, which typically involves two to four players playing a video game with the intention of completing it as fast as possible.

SpeedGaming generates significant global traffic from its 6 channels on Twitch.tv in multiple languages. Over the most recent one week period, its main channel generated.

14.5 million views and 450,000 hours of total watch time. Over the most recent 30 day period, SpeedGaming generated approximately 30 million views and 850,000 hours of total watch time.

The global speedrunning community is growing at a very fast pace, with single events raising over $2,000,000 for charity in 2018, and is expected to continue growing at a very rapid pace for years to come. VIE is now positioned to become the P2P betting platform for speedrunning and expects to announce further agreements in this space.

SpeedGaming Founder Feasel stated “SpeedGaming is proud to be partnering with Vie.gg. We have built the largest competitive speedrunning network, broadcasting over 50 tournaments per year on 9 channels. We are happy to be giving our users the ability to bet on their favourite players. We expect that this, along with substantial cash prizes for upcoming tournaments, will serve to broaden the exposure of both SpeedGaming and Vie, as well as, continue to attract the top players in the world to join these events.”

Brian Cordry, Head of Esports at Esports Entertainment Group, stated, “SpeedGaming has been home to every important speedrun game for the past 3 years across its collective English Twitch channels, as well as, a handful of broadcasts in other languages. SpeedGaming is truly a speedrun authority and we look forward to supporting their community by sponsoring two tournaments and taking bets on several more they will be hosting to close out 2018. We are especially excited to build a long-term future with SpeedGaming and help push speedrunning to the heights that esports is currently achieving.”

VIE.GG

vie.gg offers bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global esports audience, excluding jurisdictions that prohibit online gambling. vie.gg features wagering on the following esports games:

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)

  • League of Legends
  • Dota 2
  • Call of Duty
  • Overwatch
  • PUBG
  • Hearthstone
  • StarCraft II

This press release is available on our Online Investor Relations Community for shareholders and potential shareholders to ask questions, receive answers and collaborate with management in a fully moderated forum at https://agoracom.com/ir/EsportsEntertainmentGroup

Redchip investor relations Esports Entertainment Group Investor Page:

http://www.gmblinfo.com

About Esports Entertainment Group

Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. is a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming. Esports Entertainment offers bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secure platform to the global esports audience at vie.gg. In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player mobile and PC video game tournaments for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry professionals and technical experts from the online gambling and the video game industries, and esports. The Company holds licenses to conduct online gambling and 18+ gaming on a global basis in Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. The Company maintains offices in Antigua, Curacao and Warsaw, Poland. Esports Entertainment common stock is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol GMBL. For more information visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

Contact:

Corporate Finance
1-268-562-9111
[email protected]

Media & Investor Relations Inquiries
AGORACOM
[email protected]
http://agoracom.com/ir/eSportsEntertainmentGroup

U.S. Investor Relations
RedChip
Dave Gentry
407-491-4498
[email protected]

SOURCE: Esports Entertainment Group, Inc.