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Good Life Networks $GOOD.ca – These are the 5 big trends that will shape the future of digital advertising #adtech according to Adobe $ADBE $TTD $RUBI $AT.ca $TRMR $FUEL

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:45 PM on Sunday, April 7th, 2019
SPONSOR: Good Life Networks (GOOD:TSX-V) Video advertising is the future! Company’s A.I. makes 80,000 calculations / second, targeting 750 million users to deliver higher prices and volume. Company announced FY2018 trailing pro forma of ~ $48,000,000 with Adjusted EBITDA of $7,100,000 Click here for more information.
GOOD: TSX-V

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These are the 5 big trends that will shape the future of digital advertising, according to Adobe

  • A new report from Adobe looks at the history of digital advertising and where it’s headed.
  • Programmatic TV and new creative tools are two big areas of marketer interest, said Keith Eadie, VP and general manager of Adobe Advertising Cloud.
  • More ad-tech consolidation is on the way as brands seek to work with fewer than 10 vendors, he said.

By: Lauren Johnson

A quarter-century after Hotwired.com, a digital offshoot of Wired magazine, sold the first banner ad for AT&T, US digital ad spending has eclipsed traditional advertising and is expected to hit $129.34 billion in 2019, according to eMarketer.

A new report from Adobe chronicles the evolution of digital advertising, including big moves like Yahoo launching search ads in 1996 to Snap’s rollout of ads in 2016. The report also details advertisers’ shift from direct to programmatic buying.

Business Insider talked with Keith Eadie, VP and general manager of Adobe Advertising Cloud, about five big trends that Adobe sees shaping the future of digital advertising. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Read more:We’re going to see continued consolidation’: Adobe’s $4.75 billion acquisition of Marketo could spur a takeover spree at Salesforce and Oracle

TV is the next battleground for programmatic advertising

Adobe is betting big on the future of video.

Today, most TV ads are not purchased through data-based deals but Eadie sees that changing as more companies like AT&T and Disney move into streaming TV services and content.

“You’re going to see a spectrum of packaging options put forth by the publisher,” Eadie said. “I don’t see a scale challenge in over-the-top — it’s a pretty big and rapidly growing pie.”

For its part, Adobe is focusing on building programmatic pipes for buyers to plan and measure addressable TV (which uses cable-box data to target ads), OTT and digital video. The company has partnerships with companies like NBCUniversal, Nielsen, Experian and Placed.

Ad-tech consolidation will continue — and brands are asking for it

Eadie joined Adobe through the acquisition of TubeMogul and said he expects more consolidation in ad tech, with eventually two or three companies emerging to compete with Facebook and Google.

Brands are pushing for some of that consolidation, who want to work with fewer than 10 companies, not hundreds, he said.

Some marketers have pushed back on the pitch by marketing clouds including Adobe of a one-stop shop for advertising and data because they are wary of getting locked into big deals, but Eadie said Adobe is well-positioned to work with big brands.

“Our approach is to be empower the digital transformation of the largest brands in the world,” he said. “We also approach it from the perspective that we’re building an open platform and our solutions will integrate with other technology if the marketer wants to do that.”

Ad fraud and viewability concerns are “teenager-like problems” for digital advertising

One area that is getting better is ad fraud and transparency, Eadie said.

Advertisers began grappling with tough problems like ad fraud, viewability and brand safety issues nearly 10 years ago. While advertising boycotts over brand-safety concerns on platforms like YouTube persist and bad actors continue to find new ways to siphon away ad dollars, Eadie said advertisers have made progress in tamping down areas of fraud like bots and malware that hijack ad networks and generate fake ad impressions.

Advertisers have also made headway in bringing transparency to ad-tech fees as more companies disclose their “tech tax” rates.

“We just have to be diligent and mindful about it, but we’re not spending an outsized amount of time on them as we used to be,” he said.

Marketers struggle to manage multiple channels

While technical issues in digital advertising are getting better, brands face new pressure to orchestrate marketing across multiple platforms.

Marketers are trying to sync up email, text messaging and website data to make ads more personalized. That requires brands to focus more on customer experiences and less on ad copy and messaging in specific campaigns. The challenge for CMOs is organizing teams accordingly, Eadie said.

Creative will become more important in digital

As the number of distribution platforms grows, brands increasingly are creating several versions of assets, like switching between horizontal web and email campaigns to vertical formats for Instagram and Snapchat.

Advertisers have tinkered with tactics like dynamic creative optimization that in theory can swap out ad copy, colors and click-through actions on the fly, but they struggle to do so, he said.

Adobe is tackling creative because it believes that digital advertisers haven’t focused on it as much as they should.

“If you don’t start with a channel that the ad is going to be delivered on and build a bespoke asset for that, you’re essentially wasting your money because the creative doesn’t match the format you want to utilize,” he said.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/adobe-5-big-predictions-for-digital-advertising-2019-3

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca spectators offer investors an opportunity to capitalize on #Esports $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:15 PM on Sunday, April 7th, 2019
  • Ambitious approach to rounding up these audiences between owned and affiliated media, YouTube channels, and a convention that had over 55,000 people attending in 2018
  • A market leader in digital media for video gaming
  • Its platform represents more than 80 websites reaching 75 million monthly visitors, as well as 900 YouTube channels reaching 50 million additional monthly visitors.

By: Max Arnold | April 05, 2019

The video gaming industry’s media audience goes beyond just the players of video games; there is now a robust audience of non-player spectators as well. This considerably shifts the dynamics of media in the eSports space making it similar to the media ecosystems of traditional sports, and creating correspondingly profitable business opportunities.

Toronto-Based Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (“Enthusiast Gaming”) (TSXV: EGLX | OTCQB: EGHIF) has taken an ambitious approach to rounding up these audiences between owned and affiliated media, YouTube channels, and a convention that had over 55,000 people attending in 2018, making it one of the market leaders in digital media for video gaming. Its platform represents more than 80 websites reaching 75 million monthly visitors, as well as 900 YouTube channels reaching 50 million additional monthly visitors.

Strategically Partnering with and Acquiring Channels

Enthusiast Gaming has built a respectable portfolio of media assets through partnerships and acquisitions. At the beginning of 2019, Enthusiast Gaming announced a partnership with US-based Omnia Media Inc. (“Omnia”), to exclusively represent all of Omnia’s online gaming traffic in the United States, through Omnia’s multi-channel YouTube network which, across 900 channels, has 50 million monthly visitors and a base of more than 400 million subscribers.

In November 2018, Enthusiast Gaming acquired Operation Sports LLC (“Operation Sports”), which operates a leading web portal for eSports and video game content. Under Enthusiast Gaming’s ownership, the subscriber base of Operation Sports grew by more than 100,000 users, bringing the total subscriber base to over one million users as of March 20, 2019.

In-Person Engagement

Part of how Enthusiast Gaming has built its audience organically is by cultivating engagement through its flagship convention Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo (“EGLX”). Its first iteration in 2015 saw 1,700 attendees, growing to 12,000 attendees in 2017, followed by 24,000 attendees in March 2018, and 30,000 attendees in October 2018. EGLX is the largest gaming expo in Canada, and the event has sponsors that include Bell Canada, Nintendo, World Gaming, LG, and eBay. Enthusiast Gaming is contemplating expanding EGLX to other North American cities in light of significant growth in the video gaming sector.

Diversified Base of Revenues

Enthusiast Gaming generates earnings through a number of revenue categories. Video content attracts advertising payments, and EGLX produces revenue from show admissions, exhibitor booths, and show sponsors. Paid user subscriptions are another form of revenue for Enthusiast Gaming. For example, Enthusiast Gaming acquired The Sims Resource in January 2019, which generated approximately CAD $2.8 million in subscription payments in 2018, making up about 40% of its revenue.

Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. has a current market cap of CAD $57.60 million and commenced public trading on the TSX Venture through an IPO on October 4th, 2018 with a closing price of CAD $1.07. TSXV: EGLX closed April 4th 2019 at a price of CAD $1.25, up 16.82% since inception.

Source: https://investorintel.com/sectors/technology/technology-intel/enthusiast-gaming-continues-to-accumulate-esports-viewers/

ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – #Davos Report: Over 40 central banks worldwide are experimenting with #blockchain technology $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:00 PM on Sunday, April 7th, 2019

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

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Davos Report: Over 40 central banks worldwide are experimenting with blockchain technology

  • Several central banks are looking into experimenting with cryptocurrencies
  • The degree of blockchain technology research and experimentation varies greatly among central banks, as do the motivations for interest.
  • The central banks use permissioned blockchain network to create their CBDCs

Rajarshi Mitra FXStreet

As per a new report by the World Economic Forum, over 40 central banks around the world are experimenting with blockchain technology. Ashley Lannquist, a project lead in blockchain and distributed ledger technology at the World Economic Forum and the primary author of the report, believes that “It’s very much the case that several central banks are looking at this [experimenting with cryptocurrencies].”

The report states that the degree of this experimentation varies greatly among banks:

“The degree of blockchain technology research and experimentation varies greatly among central banks, as do the motivations for interest. Some central banks are progressive, having begun research and experimentation as early as 2014 and having conducted multiple pilots or even deployments. Another set of institutions is curious and interested in the technology but largely monitors activity by peer institutions and within the private sector, including cryptocurrency investing activity. A final set has not yet dedicated resources to blockchain technology research and may never do so, either because of pressing priorities or the view that DLT at this stage does not promise sufficient upside when considering technological immaturity and risks.”

The report states how these central banks implement their CBDC pilots:

“In many of these CBDC pilots, the central bank issues digital tokens on a distributed ledger that represent, and are redeemable for, central bank reserves in the domestic currency held in a separate account with the central bank. The agents in the system use the CBDC to make interbank transfers that are validated and settled on the distributed ledger.”

The central banks prefer permissioned blockchain networks to create their CBDCs:

“The central banks typically use “permissioned” blockchain network implementations, whereby participants are limited and must be granted access to participate in the network and view the set of transactions. 

The central bank chooses, according to suitability and availability, the type of network and its internal mechanisms (most importantly, the decentralized consensus mechanism the network uses for participants to reach agreement on valid transactions). R3’s Corda, the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Fabric, J.P. Morgan’s Quorum, or a simple private configuration of the Ethereum blockchain network are the most popular implementations used by central banks.”

Source: https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/davos-report-over-40-central-banks-worldwide-are-experimenting-with-blockchain-technology-201904050249

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – Professional esports are just getting started, Take-Two CEO says $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:00 AM on Friday, April 5th, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment $GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB

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Professional esports are just getting started, Take-Two CEO says

  • According to research firm Newzoo, esports is projected to generate $1.1 billion in revenue in 2019, marking the first year the industry would reach the billion-dollar mark.

By Lynn Wilkins on April 4, 2019 at 4:00 pm

Earlier this week at the Barclays Center, 74 men and 1 woman got the chance to live out a dream — they became professional competitive gamers.

The esports athletes were officially drafted for the second season of Take-Two‘s NBA 2K League, the gaming giant‘s esports league featuring their flagship NBA 2K sports video game franchise. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick emphasized the excitement surrounding the league‘s second season, highlighting the popularity and rising importance of the esports industry as a whole.

“The first season ended with a great result, and everyone‘s looking forward to the April second tip-off,” he said Friday on CNBC‘s “Fast Money.” “Over 250 million people worldwide consume esports as a form of entertainment. About half of them, 125 million, are avid esports watchers.”

According to research firm Newzoo, esports is projected to generate $1.1 billion in revenue in 2019, marking the first year the industry would reach the billion-dollar mark.

In many ways this year‘s NBA 2K League embodies how quickly the space is growing. AT&T is joining the likes of Dell and Intel as a partner for the league, which has also expanded to 21 teams from the original 17 NBA franchise-owned teams that hit the virtual court during last year‘s inaugural season.

This year‘s draft pool also included 22 international players from outside of the U.S., reflecting the overall industry‘s drive to expand globally. Among the players in the draft pool was Chiquita Evans from Chicago, who became the league‘s first female player in a time when the esports industry as a whole is grappling with discussions around diversity and inclusion.

Ultimately, Zelnick believes that esports leagues like NBA 2K will boost the video game industry as a whole.

“We‘re having a record year with NBA 2K, so one of the things we love is that when there‘s more hits in the market, there are more people engaged and the entire market grows,” he said. “So we‘re going to sell more units of NBA 2K this year than ever before, we‘ll have higher recurrent consumer spending than ever before.”

But the biggest gaming companies are facing stiff competition. While Take-Two and Activision Blizzard have dove into esports, with Blizzard‘s Overwatch League being the latter‘s most recent investment in the space, they‘re still facing the likes of other publishers who have dominated the industry.

For example, Tencent-owned Riot Games‘ “League of Legends” events still draw huge numbers of viewers, with last year‘s World Championship finals attracting nearly 100 million unique viewers who watched the match (for comparison, this year‘s Super Bowl had 98 million viewers). This while Epic Games‘ “Fortnite” also continues to dominate online viewership, both recreational and competitively.

Zelnick, however, believes that those same competitors, like “Fortnite,” lift the games industry as a whole.

“We think that ‘Fortnite‘ is a great thing for the industry, it has probably brought in a somewhat younger consumer,” he explained. “I‘m often asked if it‘s something that has hurt us. To the contrary, we‘ve seen the market continue to grow at the same time that ‘Fortnite‘ has been an extraordinary hit for Epic.”

This despite the fact that some analysts believe game revenues could be set to decline. Back in January, London-based research firm owner Pelham Smithers forecast that video game revenue is headed for its first decline since 1995 on the back of tightening regulations in China, a shortage of big console hits in 2019 and waning player enthusiasm for battle royale titles like “Fortnite.”

But Smithers also made his predictions before the release of Electronic Arts‘ “Apex Legends,” which took the gaming world by storm and garnered 50 million players in just one month. The battle royale title is yet another name in the free-to-play ecosystem that has revolutionized the gaming industry in the last few years, allowing users to download a game at no cost. In this case, the vast majority of revenue is made through in-game purchases and microtransactions, which have become dominant sources of earnings for many publishers.

This has led even the biggest publishers to explore in-game monetization. Zelnick notes that not only have microtransactions become the “biggest opportunity” to encourage users to continue interacting with a title, but it ultimately is the biggest measure of engagement.

“Microtransactions is spending, and that‘s a reflection in our view of engagement,” he said, adding that they often are a result of “making the highest quality enttertainment” that “[engages] the customer.”

“If we get that right, monetization follows, revenues follow and profits follow, and that‘s been our story for the 11 years that we‘ve been responsible for this enterprise,” he added.

Additionally, the Chinese government has seemingly eased on their game approval regulations. After freezing game approvals for months last year in a content crackdown on gaming companies, Chinese regulators have since approved 80 new games in January and one more for gaming giant Tencent in late February.

Despite the games industry‘s growth, Activision Blizzard and Take-Two Interactive have struggled with both stocks down 9 and 15 percent respective this year. Thanks to its “Apex Legends” sensation, Electronic Arts has outperformed its competitors and surged 25 percent.

Source: https://senecastandard.com/professional-esports-are-just-getting-started-take-two-ceo-says/34939/

PyroGenesis $PYR.ca is Nominated for “Materials Company of the Year” at the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2019 $LMT $RTN $NOC $UTX $HPQ.ca $DDD.ca $SSYS $PRLB

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:47 AM on Friday, April 5th, 2019
  • Nominated to the shortlist for “Materials Company of the Year” at the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2019 for the second year in a row.
  • “We are truly honored to have been shortlisted “Materials Company of the Year” for the second year in a row,” said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, CEO and President of PyroGenesis.

MONTREAL, April 05, 2019 — PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF) (FRA: 8PY), a TSX Venture 50® high-tech company, (the “Company”, the “Corporation” or “PyroGenesis”) that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma atomized metal powder, plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch  products, announced today that it has been nominated to the shortlist for “Materials Company of the Year” at the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2019 for the second year in a row.

Nominations, and winners are decided by public vote.

“We are truly honored to have been shortlisted “Materials Company of the Year” for the second year in a row,” said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, CEO and President of PyroGenesis. “Just being nominated again, together with giants in the industry, is a recognition of how far we have come in such a short time. Our recent exclusive partnership to supply plasma-atomized powder to the Additive Manufacturing industry in Europe, combined with our recently announced game-changing innovation, our NexGen™ Plasma Atomization System, underscore this success. We are moving rapidly on all fronts and expect to announce further exciting developments in the very near future.”

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/

Primary Logo

Source: GlobeNewswire (April 5, 2019 – 8:35 AM EDT)

CLIENT FEATURE: NORTHBUD $NBUD.ca Signs $20 MILLION Binding LOI For Acquisition of Multi-State Licensed Operator Eureka Vapor $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $TRST.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:26 PM on Thursday, April 4th, 2019

WHY NORTHBUD FARMS?

  • Canadian regulatory door for CIP (Cannabinoid Infused Products) is opening this year
    as shown in other legal jurisdictions (Colorado, Washington, Nevada, California)
  • Infused products sector has become the highest margin segment of the industry
  • Positioned to be a raw input producer for this space
  • Currently working with multiple food, beverage and science companies to provide safe standardized cannabinoid infused raw inputs for large scale GMP manufacturing of products

NORTHBUD Signs Binding Letter of Intent to Enter U.S. Market with Strategic Acquisition of Multi-State Licensed Operator Eureka Vapor

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT INTERVIEW

FULL DISCLOSURE: NORTHBUD is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.

ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – New $50 Million Fund Makes First Investment in #Blockchain ID Startup $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 4th, 2019

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

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New $50 Million Fund Makes First Investment in Blockchain ID Startup

  • A new $50 million VC fund has been set up by Nasdaq-listed company Okta to invest in early-stage technology startups, including those working with blockchain
  • Okta, which provides identity management solutions, announced the Okta Ventures Fund Wednesday, adding that it has made its first investment in blockchain-based identity startup Trusted Key

Yogita Khatri

Trusted Key was founded by former Microsoft, Oracle and Symantec executives and offers decentralized digital identity solutions allowing organizations to “work together as ecosystems to share strongly proofed user identities with user consent.”

Through its venture fund, Okta said it will invest in startups that are focused on building innovative solutions around its core businesses using blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The San Francisco-based firm’s co-founder and chief operating officer, Frederic Kerrest, said:

“In line with Okta’s vision of enabling any organization to use any technology, Okta Ventures will invest in the growing ecosystem of startups tackling issues like identity, security, and privacy.”

Besides providing investment capital, Okta plans to provide its portfolio companies with additional support, including the use of its software and co-marketing opportunities.

Founded in 2009, Okta has raised total funding of over $229 million, according to Crunchbase. The firm is also backed by notable investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures and others.

Okta went public in the U.S. in April 2017, raising $187 million via an initial public offering (IPO) that saw 11 million shares sold at $17 apiece. The share price of the company has risen sharply since and is currently trading at around $89.

Paper cutouts image via Shutterstock 

Source: https://www.coindesk.com/new-50-million-fund-makes-first-investment-in-blockchain-id-startup

Enthusiast Gaming’s $EGLX.ca #Esports Property, Daily Esports, Achieves 4X Growth in Traffic in Q1 2019 $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:37 AM on Thursday, April 4th, 2019

Strategic Focus on Esports Content Contributes to Surge in Traffic

  • Announced that its esports community, Daily Esports (dailyesports.gg), has reported record-breaking quarterly visitor growth since the acquisition in March 2018
  • The digital property saw a 4X pageview increase within the quarter, an increase of 135% in visitor traffic over the previous quarter, and has added 288,000 unique monthly visitors to its overall readership since the acquisition.

TORONTO, April 04, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast” or the “Company”), a gaming company building the largest community of authentic gamers, is excited to announce that its esports community, Daily Esports (dailyesports.gg), has reported record-breaking quarterly visitor growth since the acquisition in March 2018.  The digital property saw a 4X pageview increase within the quarter, an increase of 135% in visitor traffic over the previous quarter, and has added 288,000 unique monthly visitors to its overall readership since the acquisition.

Daily Esports is one of the leading online communities of esports content around breaking news, game patches, analysis, opinion, tournament coverage, and more. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the digital property in March 2018 as the Company anticipated the tremendous growth of the esports industry. It is anticipated that the global esports audience will grow to 453.8 million worldwide in 2019(1), and Daily Esports is well positioned as one of the leading communities catering to esports enthusiasts.

Since the acquisition, Enthusiast and its Director of Content, Niero Gonzalez and Director of Special Projects, Jason Lepine have built out the Daily Esports team, including new Editor-in-Chief, Taha Zaidi, and 28 freelance writers. The additional staff  and rebranding of the property were both factors helping to fuel the growth. With a surging popularity in esports and games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends, Enthusiast focused its 28 writers to cover the latest esports news. Over the last month, Daily Esports has featured the industry’s newest entry, Apex Legends, which has spiked visitor growth. Apex Legends is EA’s free-to-play Battle Royale game which has already surpassed 50M players which makes it the fastest growing videogame in the sector. Due to the increasing popularity of the game, over 50% of the website’s traffic is being driven by Apex Legends content.

Jason Lepine, Director, Special Projects at Enthusiast Gaming commented, “It’s an exciting time in the world of esports and our property, Daily Esports, is positioned as the leading voice for the community. We are very happy with the growth to date, which confirms the success of our renewed strategy which focuses on providing cutting edge content around esports.” He continued, “The team has worked hard to become an authoritative voice in the coverage of the fastest growing Esports game, Apex Legends.”

(1) https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/newzoo-global-esports-economy-will-top-1-billion-for-the-first-time-in-2019/

About Enthusiast

Founded in 2014, Enthusiast is the fastest-growing online community of video gamers. Through the Company’s unique acquisition strategy, it has a platform of over 80 owned and affiliated websites and currently reaches over 75 million monthly visitors with its unique and curated content and over 50 million YouTube visitors. Enthusiast also owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX, (eglx.ca) with over 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investor Relations:
Julia Becker
Head of Investor Relations & Marketing
[email protected]
(604) 785.0850

This news release contains certain statements that may constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All statements, other than those of historical fact, which address activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance or achievements that Enthusiast anticipates or expects may or will occur in the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to, comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations and future actions of the Company. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” (or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Enthusiast to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors may be based on information currently available to Enthusiast, including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future growth, results of operations, future capital (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof) and expenditures. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.

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.

The securities of the Corporation have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Leading Investment Fund Manager Selects #KoreConX Digital Securities Protocol for Offering

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:30 AM on Thursday, April 4th, 2019

3iQ is Canada’s first regulated multi crypto asset portfolio manager and will be utilizing the KoreConX platform

[New York, NY – April 04, 2019] – KoreConX is proud to announce that 3iQ Corp. (3iQ), Canada’s first regulated multi cryptoasset portfolio manager, has chosen the KoreProtocol for their Digital Securities Offering.

Founded in 2012, the company is the first Canadian investment fund manager to fully comply with the terms and conditions with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities to manage a multi-crypto asset investment fund, offering exposure to accredited investors for the first time.

3iQ focuses on educating individuals in disruptive technologies and the crypto asset space and providing innovative investments of institutional quality. Behind the company are the investment industry veterans Howard Atkinson and Fred Pye, both with more than 30 years of experience in the field.

“Moving to Digital Securities is a very important decision in the history of our company, and we need a protocol that is secure and robust, while never compromising compliance,” said Howard Atkinson, Chairman of 3iQ. “We believe KoreConX is not only the right choice when it comes to the Digital Securities Protocol, but also when it comes to management after issuance.”  According to Fred Pye, President & CEO of 3iQ, “through our Exempt Market Dealer we will be able to offer these securities to Accredited Investors.”

In the KoreConX all-in-one platform, companies can not only initiate their Digital Security Offering process, but they can also find a series of solutions tailored to their business needs, including the pre, during and post phases of capital raise. From the Due Diligence and the documentation gathering to Investor Relations with the shareholders, users can find the tools they need to grow their business.

Companies with a growing number of shareholders can also utilize CapTable Management solutions without compromising the safety of their most sensitive information.

“We created the platform with the business’ owners in mind. We created it for the dynamic entrepreneur who needs efficiency and agility when managing their companies so they can focus on perfecting their business,” said Oscar Jofre, Co-Founder and CEO of KoreConX. “We are very honored that an Investment Fund Manager of the magnitude of 3iQ chose our solutions to be the technology behind their Digital Securities Offering and their company.”

About 3iQ Corp.

3iQ is a Canadian investment fund manager focused on providing innovative investment products of institutional quality. 3iQ currently manages the 3iQ Global Cryptoasset Fund, a private investment fund which holds bitcoin, either and litecoin and is eligible for investment by accredited investors in Canada or in reliance on other exemptions from the prospectus requirement. Founded in 2012, 3iQ is currently focused on disruptive technologies and the cryptoasset space

About KoreConX

KoreConX is the world’s first highly-secure permissioned blockchain ecosystem for fully-compliant digital securities worldwide.

To ensure compliance with securities regulation and corporate law, the KoreConX all-in-one, AI-based blockchain platform manages the full lifecycle of digital securities including the issuance, trading, clearing, settlement, management, reporting, corporate actions, and custodianship. KoreConX connects companies to the capital markets and secondary markets facilitating access to capital and liquidity for private investors.

KoreConX is the first secure, all-in-one platform for private companies to manage their capital market activity and stakeholder communications. Removing the burden of fragmented systems and inefficient tools across multiple vendors, KoreConX offers a single environment to connect companies, investors and broker/dealers. Leveraged for investor relations and fundraising, private companies can share and manage corporate records and investments including portfolio management, capitalization table management, virtual minute book, security registers, transfer agent services and virtual deal rooms for raising capital.  www.KoreConX.com

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Media Contacts:

KoreConX

Oscar A Jofre

[email protected]

Good Life Networks $GOOD.ca Doubles YOY Revenue to Over $20M in FY2018 $TTD $RUBI $AT.ca $TRMR $FUEL

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:17 AM on Thursday, April 4th, 2019

Reports Audited 2018 Financial Statements

  • Revenue increases by 106% to $20,077,289 over FY2017 with Adjusted EBITDA of $2,274,055 

  • Q4 FY2018 revenue of $10,076,639 is highest quarter reported to date

  • FY2018 trailing pro forma of ~ $48,000,000 with Adjusted EBITDA of $7,100,000

Vancouver, British Columbia–(April 4, 2019) – Good Life Networks Inc. (TSXV: GOOD) (FSE: 4G5) (“GLN” or the “Company“), a programmatic advertising technology company, today announced that it has filed its consolidated financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2018, available on www.sedar.com. All figures are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

Jesse Dylan, CEO of GLN commented, “2018 has been an instrumental year for GLN, we have seen tremendous growth and I am proud of our first annual audited results as a public company. GLN has exceeded our goals for the year including completing two significant acquisitions.” He added, “Through persistence, dedication and discipline, GLN is executing on our defined growth and earnings strategies, which we believe will deliver significant shareholder value.”

Financial Highlights:

  • Record revenue of $20,077,289 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was a 106% increase compared to $9,723,075 recorded during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017;
  • Gross profit during the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 increased 68% to $7,279,028 from $4,334,670 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017;
  • Gross margin as a percentage of revenue during the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 of 36% have adjusted to a more appropriate level as compared to 2017 where the margins were 45%;
  • Comprehensive loss for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was $1,939,376 compared to comprehensive income of $1,337,726 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017;

  • Adjusted EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was $2,274,055;
  • Trailing FY2018 pro forma revenue for GLN, 495 Communications LLC (“495“) and ImpressionX Inc. (“ImpressionX“) of ~$48,000,000, with adjusted EBITDA of $7,100,000 based on audited GLN and management prepared 495 and ImpressionX financial statements (January 1st, 2018 to December 31st, 2018);
  • Record revenue during the three months ended December 31, 2018 increased 80% to $10,076,639 compared to $5,589,844 during the three months ended December 31, 2017;
  • Gross profit during the three months ended December 31, 2018 increased 13% to $2,897,737 from $2,574,422 during the three months ended December 31, 2017;
  • Gross margin as a percentage of revenue during the three months ended December 31, 2018 of 29% have adjusted to a more appropriate level as compared to 2017 where the margins were at 45%;
  • Comprehensive loss for the three months ended December 31, 2018 was $254,600 compared to comprehensive income of $1,818,772 during the three months ended December 31, 2017.

Fourth Quarter and Recent Company Highlights

During the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2018, GLN achieved the following milestones:

  • Listed on the TSXV under stock ticker GOOD.

  • Listed on the Frankfurt Exchange under stock ticker 4G5.

  • Closed the acquisition of 495, a leading advertising and content marketing company based in New York City and Santa Monica, California.

  • Closed the acquisition of ImpressionX, a leading connected television (CTV) advertising technology company.
     
  • Entered a commercial agreement with a Major Canadian Financial Institution to provide credit facilities that gives GLN access to an aggregate total of $11,250,000 to support company M&A strategies. 

  • Integrated technology at the server level with both publishers and advertisers and reached its target of 30 integrations in 2018 two months ahead of schedule. 

  • Entered an agreement with Einstein Exchange as launch partner for their accounts receivable (“AR“) blockchain application. 

  • Entered into an agreement with AMPD Holdings Corp. (dba AMPD Game Technologies), to provide the Company’s programmatic advertising technology to the Gaming industry. 

  • Entered an Advisory Agreement with First Coin Capital to assist in the detailed analysis and planning of the GLN AR Blockchain payment application.

  • Commenced R&D program on mobile platform development

  • Received patent pending status from US Patent Office (“USPO“) for its AR blockchain application. USPO serial number 62/634,333.

  • After 22 months in development, received patent pending status from US Patent Office (“USPO“) for its programmatic video advertising platform. USPO serial number 62/619,450.

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure that we calculate as income (loss) before income taxes excluding depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, non- recurring non-operating expenses, interest expense, and gain or loss on financial instruments and foreign exchange.

Adjusted EBITDA is a measure used by management and the Board to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends. This measure differs from contribution in that adjusted EBITDA includes additional operating costs, such as general and administration expenses and marketing, but excludes funding interest costs.

The following table presents a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to loss before income taxes, the most comparable IFRS financial measure for each of the periods indicated:

Q4 Financials Conference Call Access

GLN is hosting a conference call, today, April 4, 2019, beginning at 11:00am EST (8:00am PST) to discuss the results. To access the conference call by phone, please dial the following numbers.

Canada/USA                 TF: 1-800-319-4610
International                  Toll: +1-604-638-5340
Germany                       TF: 0800-180-1954
UK                                 TF: 0808-101-2791

Callers should dial in five to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and ask to join the Good Life Networks call. We encourage you to access the webcast and presentation material that will be published in the Investors section of GLN’s website at https://glninc.ca/overview/

The GLN Story

GLN’s patent pending technology is the engine that sits between advertisers and publishers. A highlight of GLN’s tech is that it does not collect PII (Personal Identifiable Information). Built for cross device video advertising: Mobile, In-App, Desktop and CTV (Connected Television) the GLN Programmatic Video Advertising Platform has among the lowest fraud rates of similar vendors in the industry. Advertisers make more money by reaching their target audience more effectively. GLN makes money by retaining a percentage of the advertiser’s fee.

GLN is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with offices in Newport Beach and Santa Monica California, New York and UK and trades on the TSXV under the stock symbol “GOOD” and The Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the stock symbol 4G5. For further information on the Company, visit www.glninc.ca

CONTACT

Investor Relations
[email protected]

Jesse Dylan, CEO
604 265 7511

Forward Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs regarding future events of management of GLN. This information and these statements, referred to herein as “forward‐looking statements”, are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management’s expectations and intentions with respect to the performance of the company. These statements generally can be identified by use of forward-looking words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intends”, “believe” or “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations. These forward‐looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary include without limitation, risks relating to the digital advertising industry and general economic conditions, success of acquisitions and any growth strategies implemented by the company. In making the forward‐looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation that any acquisitions and corporate directives and initiatives will be successfully completed in the time expected by management and produce the desired results, generate the anticipated revenue and expand GLN’s global reach per management’s expectations. GLN does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in GLN’s filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43884