Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 1:24 PM on Friday, December 28th, 2018
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 an additional 42 Esports teams, bringing total to 176 Esports teams. Click here for more information
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Unsurprisingly for some, the League of Legends World Championship was the biggest event of the year having attracted over 74.3 million viewers, which is 2.5 million more than last year’s iteration.
The most popular esports events of 2018 have been revealed by the ESC (Esports Charts), with many old and established tournaments retaining strong interest despite the emergence of new games.
The figures, which are based on hours watched on both YouTube and
Twitch, show which competitive esports games are more popular than
others right now in terms of viewers.
League of Legends, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
dominate the most watched games chart according to these statistics, all
boasting incredible numbers in various competitions.
LOL ESPORTS
The 2018 League of Legends World Championship stage.
Unsurprisingly for some, the League of Legends World Championship was
the biggest event of the year having attracted over 74.3 million
viewers, which is 2.5 million more than last year’s iteration.
Just behind that was Dota 2’s ‘The International’, which massively
grew in popularity in the space of a year – recording 52.8 million
views, seeing an increase of 9 million since 2017. In third place,
CS:GO’s ELEAGUE Major which was watched by 49.5 million across the
world.
“In my opinion, they’ve [Epic Games] realized that their game will
never be the most competitive, but it can be the most entertaining. So,
they’re sticking to their guns in that regard.”
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:57 PM on Thursday, December 27th, 2018
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 an additional 42 Esports teams, bringing total to 176 Esports teams. Click here for more information
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In case you missed it, esports are big business now and competitive gamers spent 2018 continuing to capture the attention (and the money) of the traditional sports world.
Rapper Drake greets Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry following an NBA game in 2015. Dave Sandford | NBAE via Getty Images
In case you missed it, esports are big business now and competitive
gamers spent 2018 continuing to capture the attention (and the money) of
the traditional sports world.
The esports industry is on pace to bring in more than $900 million in
revenue this year, and that number could reach as high as $2.4 billion
by 2020, according
to gaming research firm Newzoo. Competitive gaming has taken such a
leap into the mainstream in recent years that even Wall Street giant
Goldman Sachs is following the industry’s growth, with the firm recently
predicting that, by 2022, the audience for esports will grow to 276 million people, putting it on par with the most popular traditional sports, including the NFL.
Unsurprisingly, the rapid growth of esports, and the vast amounts of
money and exposure at stake, has attracted a great amount of interest
from investors who want to get in on the action. Even before this year,
several big names were already investing in esports companies and teams,
including celebrities and athletes from traditional sports. Among them:
Mark Cuban, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, former MLB star Alex
Rodriguez, high-profile NFL owners Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones, and
celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Tony Robbins, and Jennifer Lopez.
Those athletes, team owners and celebrities helped pave the way for
more big names to join the ranks of esports investors in 2018, when
everyone from Michael Jordan to Drake was looking to pump more money
into the industry.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest athletes and celebrities who invested in esports in 2018:
Michael Jordan
Jordan is a basketball legend and the current principal owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. With a fortune that Forbes estimates is worth nearly $1.7 billion, Jordan is an active investor in the worlds of sports and technology. He owns a minority stake in the MLB’s Miami Marlins and, in the past two years, he’s invested in tech startups like smart headphones company Muzik and Gigster, the online platform for freelance web designers.
In October, Jordan took his first leap into the world of esports by leading a group of investors that put $26 million into the competitive gaming company aXiomatic Gaming, which owns the popular esports organization Team Liquid.
(Jordan isn’t even aXiomatic’s only NBA connection, as the company’s
co-executive chairman is Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards,
one of the teams Jordan played for during his NBA career.)
Jordan called esports “a fast-growing, international industry†in a statement at the time of his investment.
Drake
Drake gave away the entire $1 million budget for his new music video
The Canadian rapper (whose real name is Aubrey Graham) is not only a
Grammy-winning and charts-topping recording artist, he’s now also the
co-owner of an esports team. In October, Drake teamed up with Scooter Braun (the Hollywood manager who represents stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande) to invest an undisclosed amount
of money in the esports organization 100 Thieves. With their
investment, Drake and Braun also became co-owners of 100 Thieves, which
fields esports teams that compete in games like “Call of Duty†and
“League of Legends.â€
Drake is no stranger to the gaming community, either. The rapper made
waves in March, when he played “Fortnite†online with the massively
popular gaming streamer Tyler “Ninja†Blevins — a live-streamed pairing that attracted more than 635,000 concurrent viewers on the Amazon-owned video game streaming platform Twitch.
Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala
Golden State Warriors teammates Stephen Curry (L) and Andre Iguodala (R) high-five during a December 2018 game.
Scott Cunningham | NBAE via Getty Images
Curry might be a two-time NBA MVP, but his Golden State Warriors
teammate, Andre Iguodala, is the team’s star when it comes to investing
in startups. Iguodala, who Fast Company referred
to as “the NBA’s ambassador to Silicon Valley,†has invested in tech
startups like direct-to-consumer mattress company Casper while
introducing his teammates to Silicon Valley bigwigs like Salesforce CEO
Marc Benioff and venture capitalist Mary Meeker.
So, it’s no surprise that Iguodala and Curry both got involved in
esports together for the first time in 2018. In July, the pair was part
of a group that invested $37 million
in the esports organization TSM, which was founded by 26-year-old gamer
Andy Dinh and fields competitive gaming teams for games like “League of
Legends†and “Fortnite.â€
Steve Young
Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young.
Leon Halip | Getty Images
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young was also in on the $37 million TSM investment alongside Curry and Iguodala. (TSM said
part of the funding it raised in July will go toward building a new
15,000-to-20,000-square-foot esports facility in Los Angeles.) Young is a
prolific investor among ex-athletes, as the former 49ers star is a
managing director of private equity firm HGGC, which oversees over $4
billion in investments.
Sean “Diddy†Combs
Sean Combs is a rapper, known variously as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy,
Diddy, Puff and Puffy. He was born in Harlem and raised by his mother, a
schoolteacher living in public housing. , and the family relocated to
Mount Vernon, just outside of the Bronx.Combs attended Howard University
in Washington , D.C, while simultaneously interning at Uptown Records
in New York City. The internship won out, and he dropped out of college
to focus on Uptown, where he was instrumental in developing such R&B
artists
Getty Images
The rapper formerly known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy jumped aboard
the esports trend in November, when Combs joined a group of investors
that provided $30.5 million in funding to PlayVS. Based in Los Angeles, PlayVS is an esports league that partners with high schools
around the US to create an infrastructure that allows high school
students to represent their schools in esports competitions while trying
to land some of the growing number of collegiate scholarships now available for competitive gamers. Combs served as an angel investor in the funding round for PlayVS.
The November fundraising round actually came on the heels of a $15 million investment
in PlayVS that the esports league picked up in June from a group of
investors that included the San Francisco 49ers, Twitch co-founder Kevin
Lin, and professional athletes such as former NBA player Baron Davis
and Los Angeles Chargers player Russell Okung.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors
Gregory Shamus via Getty
Much like some of his Golden State Warriors teammates (Curry and
Iguodala, above), Durant is an active investor in Silicon Valley
startups. In fact, when Durant left Oklahoma City to sign with the
Warriors in 2016, he also launched the Durant Company, his own personal startup for managing his tech industry investments, which include scooter company Lime and Postmates.
In February, Durant added an esports venture to his growing
investment portfolio when he joined a group that invested $38 million in
Vision Esports, an esports investment fund and management company
co-founded by former NBA player and actor Rick Fox, MGM Resorts
executive Chris Nordling, and the NHL’s San Jose Sharks minority owner
Stratton Sclavos. Vision Esports owns the esports team Echo Fox as well
as esports content creator Vision Entertainment and the video game
record-tracking site Twin Galaxies. Other investors in Vision Esports
include the New York Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals, and Durant’s
business partner, Rich Kleiman.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants
Getty Images
The All-Pro New York Giants wide receiver also joined Durant in
contributing to the $38 million fundraising round for Vision Esports in
February. Beckham, who signed a record-breaking $95 million deal with the Giants in August, says he has been an avid gamer since childhood, and he even faced off against rapper A$AP Rocky in a marketing stunt for EA Sports’ “Fifa 19†recently.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:29 PM on Wednesday, December 19th, 2018
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 an additional 42 Esports teams, bringing total to 176 Esports teams. Click here for more information.
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Esports Legends Launch Popdog With $9 Million Funding Round
The company is called Popdog, and will be starting things out with a $9 million Series A funding round led by Makers Fund and Korea Investment Partners.
“We’re building our company around the core belief that eSports and gaming video content, born more from technology than any other sports or entertainment verticals we’ve seen, need better technology in order to be properly understood, monetized, and optimized,†says company CEO
Evil Geniuses CEO Alexander Garfield is heading a new eSports
technology and services company which will develop products aimed at
optimizing live streaming for tournaments, talent, and publishers, it
was announced today.
The company is called Popdog, and will be starting things out with a
$9 million Series A funding round led by Makers Fund and Korea
Investment Partners.
“We’re building our company around the core belief that eSports
and gaming video content, born more from technology than any other
sports or entertainment verticals we’ve seen, need better technology in
order to be properly understood, monetized, and optimized,†says company
CEO Garland in a prepared statement.
“The industry needs a backend, and our mission is to be that backend
by supporting the ecosystem as a whole with a comprehensive offering of
technology and services. This funding brings us one step closer to
fulfilling that mission. We’ve already assembled an incredible team of
industry leaders, product experts, and eSports veterans, and we’re
excited to begin rolling out a suite of products that we think will make
operating in the space transparent and scalable, as opposed to opaque
and speculative.â€
Alexander Garfield, a two-time winner of The International
tournament, is perhaps best known for his role in helping to build
pro-gaming organizations Evil Geniuses and Alliance into eSports
heavyweights. Garfield later sold the teams’ parent company GoodGame to Twitch in 2014.
Alongside Garfield, Popdog’s co-founders include CTO and CPO Andreas
Thorstensson, a former Counter-Strike world champion who Co-Founded SK Gaming;
CSO Niles Heron, consultant who has taught and mentored at accelerators
such as TechStars, Gener8tor and Detroit’s TechTown; and CCO Colin
DeShong, the former COO of GoodGame, Evil Geniuses, and Alliance, where
he was Garfield’s long-time partner.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 1:24 PM on Tuesday, December 18th, 2018
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 an additional 42 Esports teams, bringing total to 176 Esports teams. Click here for more information
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Esports has come from nowhere to become one of the most exciting entertainment trends in the world.
What began as a fairly niche activity in South Korea has grown to become a world beater, and the esports industry is expected to hit $180 billion in revenues by 2021.
Esports has come from nowhere to become one of the most exciting
entertainment trends in the world. What began as a fairly niche activity
in South Korea has grown to become a world beater, and the esports industry is expected to hit $180 billion in revenues by 2021.
But what is esports and how can you take advantage of its remarkable
growth? Simply put, esports is competitive video gaming where
individuals compete on video games like League of Legends, Counter
Strike Global Offensive and Overwatch. There’s a more detailed guide to esports here, but basically esports is like any traditional sport, except that it’s played on video games.
Given esports’ impressive revenues, there will be many people
questioning which esports stocks have the most potentially lucrative
returns. Whilst the esports industry might not be included in many of
the value stocks for 2019, some of these stocks could be well worth keeping an eye on.
It’s the games publishers and developers who could provide the
greatest amount of stability in this rapidly changing realm. EA Sports
is one of the most widely respected games publishers in the esports
domain with titles like the Madden franchise and FIFA being amongst its
biggest hits. And with the news that EA Sports are teaming up with the
Premier League to launch the ePremier League, it shows that there is plenty of value here.
Activision Blizzard have also provided some of the biggest titles in
the competitive gaming realm. Alongside classics like Call of Duty and
Quake, Blizzard have also successfully launched the Overwatch League and
Overwatch World Cup tournaments which have added plenty of
professionalism to the fledgling industry.
All shrewd investors will know how China holds the key for
understanding the future of many industries. As a result, it could be
wise to invest in Tencent as this multibillion dollar Chinese investment
company bought Riot Games. Why is this important? Riot Games created
League of Legends which is probably the biggest esports game around, and
with over 60 million unique viewers for the 2017 League of Legends
World Championship finals, it shows just how popular esports has become.
Esports wouldn’t have grown to become a world-beater were it not for
the incredible hardware that the gamers compete on. As a result, many
investors have been charting the rapid progress of Nvidia. This
semiconductor company has a separate NVDA gaming division that was
responsible for developing the world’s speediest graphics processing
unit. As a result, this brand have proven to offer plenty of stability
when working out how to overcome any unexpected stock market turbulence.
Similarly, Logitech have won many fans as a result of their gaming
hardware, and it could be wise to invest early in this Swiss
manufacturer. Logitech’s revenues have steadily been growing the past
few years, and with growth figures of 27% in 2017, it seems as though
gamers’ hunger for quality keyboards, mice and other hardware is showing
no signs of slowing down.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:17 AM on Tuesday, December 18th, 2018
Will position Enthusiast as a leading publisher in the mobile gaming industry with significant growth of online and offline gaming community
Owner of over 20 mobile gaming websites and Pocket Gamer brand, the leading mobile gaming media website
Operates 25 live events in 11 countries, including the largest B2B mobile gaming event in North America and Europe
TORONTO, Dec. 18, 2018 – Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX), (“Enthusiast†or the “Companyâ€)  a digital media company building the largest community of authentic gamers, is excited to announce that it has entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (“LOIâ€) to acquire all of the shares of Steel Media Limited (“Steel Mediaâ€), the largest mobile gaming network in the world, which holds a significant portfolio of consumer and B2B websites, and a series of successful global live networking events.
Founded in 2005 by publishing experts with a focus on quality
editorial, Steel Media is the media company behind over 20 mobile gaming
media websites including: pocketgamer.com, pocketgamer.biz, appspy.com,
and 148apps.com; and is the owner and operator of over 25 video game
networking events in 11 different countries.
Pocket Gamer (www.pocketgamer.com)
is the world’s leading destination for the mobile gaming community,
including: iPhone, iPad, Android, Nintendo Switch, 3DS and more. As one
of the most recognized brand in the mobile gaming industry, Pocket Gamer
has over 2 million monthly impressions on mobile and web, and covers
multiple sites, events and even printed magazines. The addition of
Pocket Gamer to the network will enable Enthusiast to capitalize on the
fastest growing segment in the gaming sector, mobile gaming.
Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming commented, “Steel
Media has built a well-recognized gaming brand and successful
businesses across mobile, B2B and events that will enable Enthusiast to
scale our business quickly. We have seen a significant increase in
mobile gaming, and like Esports, mobile gaming continues to be a huge
segment in the industry. The acquisition will position Enthusiast as a
leader in the mobile gaming sector and will allow us to take advantage
of the continued growth within the industry.â€
Offline, Steel Media is an industry leader in B2B and consumer mobile
gaming events. They own and operate numerous successful networking
events around the world with 15,000 registered industry attendees and
key sponsors and partners. Steel Media hosts Pocket Gamer Party, Top 50
Developer Guide, Mobile Mixers, the Mobile Games Awards, and Pocket
Gamer Connects, the largest B2B mobile games conference series in the
west, with events in London, San Francisco, Helsinki and additional
locations in 2019.
Kestenbaum continued, “Steel Media’s series of
successful and well established events worldwide will provide an
excellent platform for Enthusiast’s event business. Our goal has always
been to expand EGLX, and we continue to look at opportunities for
multi-city expansion. Having Steel Media’s network of events on our
platform will provide synergies for growth and provides access to the
international stage.â€
Under the terms of the LOI, Enthusiast has a binding exclusivity
period of 120 days or the agreed upon closing date, whichever is later,
to complete due diligence and negotiate and settle definitive
transaction documentation. The purchase price is expected to be in the
range of USD $2,500,000 (CAD $3,353,125) plus an earn-out amount,
bringing the total purchase price up to USD $3,000,000 (CAD $4,023,750)
based on performance of Steel Media post-closing. There can be no
assurances that the transaction will, ultimately, be completed on the
terms set out in the LOI or at all, as Enthusiast Gaming must be
completely satisfied with the results of due diligence. The LOI includes
a two way break fee of USD $50,000 which is triggered by a party’s
failure to execute definitive documentation as contemplated in the LOI.
If the acquisition of Steel Media is completed, Enthusiast’s network
will grow to over 100 websites and will also significantly expand
Enthusiast’s reach into Europe.
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. Enthusiast also owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo,
Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX, (www.eglx.ca). Over 30,000 people attended EGLX in October 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.
Tags: egaming, esports, Fortnite, stocks Posted in Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc., Featured | Comments Off on Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca Targets Mobile Gaming Market with LOI to Acquire Steel Media, the Leading Global Mobile Gaming Media and Events Company #Esports $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:34 AM on Monday, December 17th, 2018
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 an additional 42 Esports teams, bringing total to 176 Esports teams. Click here for more information.
Esports as an industry is poised for a healthy growth over the next three years.
A survey has predicted a 5.3% growth rate for the Asian eSports market, while in the middle east the growth will be as high as 9.4%.
Referring to inputs from the “Unlocking
potential: The eSports Rrevolution in India†segment at the Times of
India Global Sports Show, indiantelevision.co has
reported that the state of eSports industry over the next three to five
years is estimated to grow by 5.3% in Asia and 9.4% in Middle East and
Africa, according to PwC Sports Survey 2018.
The growth is attributed to the factors
like the improved internet speed, smartphone penetration, government
digital push and highest youth population. The factors put together put
eSports in India in the right territory for growth. Voot, Hotstar,
Youtube and Twitch are keeping the eSports’ passionate new generation
engage
“Once you have a large enough mass in a
region or a country then I would think it’s a matter of time to really
become big. The three things we can do from our side to make it really
popular are the infrastructure, devices and data where people can play
and watch others play,†the website has quoted Tencent GM Aneesh Arvind,
as saying.
Tencent’s sensational PlayerUnknown’s Battleground’s (PUBG) Mobile game, a phenomenon with young generation in India, has crossed 100 million downloads.
“We have such a large player base in India
that all the assumptions we used to have in the gaming industry doesn’t
hold true anymore. We have built the game and the ecosystem around it by
doing TV commercials, advertisement in different media, got influencers
on board,†Arvind added.
According to Tencent, Esports is a video
game, which is played competitively with rewards attached to it and an
ecosystem where people are ready to watch that.
Esports for the first time became a part of
a major sporting event in 2018 Asian Games Jakarta as a demonstration
sports. This was announced by Asian Esports Federation (AESF). 10 Indian
Gamers had qualified for the event.
The eSports market size this year is
supposed to be $900 million, which is likely to reach $3 billion by
2021. “We as the eSports industry are trying to figure out ways in which
we can grow and models of monetisation,†Arvind added.
“I think for us it is an investment time.
As a company which is building IPs we are very clear that for the next
3-5 year time frame we have to invest in the fan base, create the
infrastructure getting the right stakeholder and the right federations,â€
opines Nodwin Gaming MD Akshat Rathee.
“We are the only sport in the world which
is not run by the federation because the publisher owns the trademark of
the game,†Rathee concluded.
According to UK-based Juniper Research, the
advertising spend will dominate in terms of revenue and spend
(accounting for 50 per cent in 2022).
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:20 AM on Friday, December 14th, 2018
SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated websites, currently reaching over 75 million monthly visitors. The company has year to date revenue of $7.4 million representing a 625% increase over the same period in 2017. Click here for more information.
———————-
Nielsen announced an in-depth research study of esports fan attitudes and behaviors in the U.S. to feature data from Twitch.
Nielsen combined survey-based attitudes and preference data with Twitch viewership and behavior data from more than 2,000 U.S. esports fans who viewed esports content related to major titles like League of Legends, Overwatch League, Fortnite, and more over the past year.
Nielsen announced an in-depth research study of esports fan attitudes
and behaviors in the U.S. to feature data from Twitch. Nielsen combined
survey-based attitudes and preference data with Twitch viewership and
behavior data from more than 2,000 U.S. esports fans who viewed esports
content related to major titles like League of Legends, Overwatch
League, Fortnite, and more over the past year.
The result of this Nielsen and Twitch Esports Fan research study is a
set of rich data that marketers, rights holders, and esports
organizations can use to unlock the value of Twitch’s audience at a
detailed level. The data will guide those looking to make informed
decisions for investments, sponsorship and advertising, as well as help
esports organizations effectively demonstrate the unique value their
audience brings to the industry.
Some of the high-level insights from the Nielsen Esports study of the Twitch U.S. esports audience include:
Twitch esports fans are well-seasoned with nearly 60% following
esports for four or more years. In contrast, among the broader U.S.
esports audience, only 1 in 5 have been following this long, with 23%
new to esports within the past year.
50% of Twitch esports fans have a paid TV subscription service; less than 40% claim to view television on a weekly basis.
90% of Twitch esports fans can recall at least one non-gaming related sponsor within esports.
Esports fans are more likely to spend time engaging with esports
over traditional sports – Twitch fans significantly so, with 70%
dedicating more time to esports than traditional.
Over 60% of Twitch esports fans engage with gaming personalities on a
daily basis, and nearly one in three viewed at least five hours of live
Fortnite video content on Twitch in the past year.
“As we continue to support our esports clients, a common theme has
been their need for an even more detailed view of the esports audience
to support data-driven business decisions,†says Nicole Pike,
Managing Director, Nielsen Esports. “At Nielsen, we know the power of
viewership and how it can enrich an already valuable data set like our
Fan Insights work. Given Twitch’s depth of content and reach across
esports properties, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with
them since this marks a natural evolution for our annual research.â€
“Twitch caters to the many interests of gamers with esports among the more popular types of entertainment we offer,†says Andrea Garabedian,
VP, Advertiser Marketing, Twitch. “By providing Nielsen with an
opportunity to survey our community, they were able to surface data that
reflects the passionate nature of our esports fans. Based on the amount
of time these gamers spend on our service and their familiarity with
the scene, from the games to the sponsors, it is clear that Twitch
represents an ideal destination for brands trying to connect with this
audience.â€
Nielsen collected the Twitch Esports Fan data via an online survey
deployed among a representative group of U.S.-based users from the
Twitch Research Power Group (RPG). The Twitch RPG is Twitch’s
proprietary panel comprised of over 50,000 Twitch viewers and allows the
brand to instantly tap into the pulse of its community. Members of the
Twitch RPG who opted into the survey ranged from ages 18-40. Along with
the survey invitation, Twitch shared anonymized behavioral viewership
data from survey respondents across top esports leagues/tournaments and
20 different game titles.
Nielsen will incorporate key findings into its annual Nielsen Esports
Report for the U.S. market, as well as leverage the data for consulting
services. The data from this landmark research are currently available
in the form of syndicated or custom analysis in addition to Nielsen’s
survey results among the broader esports fan base in the U.S. plus 10
other global markets.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:06 AM on Thursday, December 13th, 2018
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 an additional 42 Esports teams, bringing total to 176 Esports teams. Click here for more information
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Intel and esports company ESL have extended a long-standing
partnership, signing a three-year, $100 million deal designed to boost
the profile of electronic sports worldwide.
Intel will provide the technology — including high-powered computer
processors and 5G — for some of the best-known esports events through
2021
Participants in the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in Chicago, November 2018.
Intel-ESL
Intel and
esports company ESL have extended a long-standing partnership, signing a
three-year, $100 million deal designed to boost the profile of
electronic sports worldwide, the companies announced Thursday.
Under the deal, Intel will provide multiple layers of technology —
including its high-powered “Core†computer processors and 5G — for some
of the biggest esports events through 2021. The semiconductor giant will
also work alongside ESL to create new events seen around the globe. ESL
runs multiple esports leagues and tournaments worldwide.
The Intel Extreme Masters, an ESL-run league sponsored by Intel, is
set to enter its 14th season as the longest-running global professional
gaming circuit. As part of the deal, another tournament will be added to
the roster with the IEM event in China set to be converted into a
stand-alone event.
The $100 million investment marks an even deeper foray into esports
for Intel, at a time when many big brands are entering the industry. The
company has sponsored ESL events for 18 years — making Intel one of the
first major companies to dive into the now-exploding esports space,
which is expected to surge to $1.4 billion in 2020, according to
estimates from research firm Newzoo.
The deal makes the Intel-ESL (formerly known as the Electronic Sports
League) affiliation the biggest brand and technology partnership in the
esports space, the companies said.
John Bonini, Intel’s vice president and general manager of virtual
reality, gaming and esports, told CNBC the company is “very proud to
have been a key part in growing esports.†The partnership creates more
long-term, sustainable paths in the industry, he said.
“It puts substantial weight behind [Intel’s commitment to esports],
and allows us and our partners at ESL to create new opportunities with
the next 15 years in mind,†Bonini said.
Mark Cohen, ESL’s senior vice president of global brand partnerships,
said Intel’s commitment represents the next phase in the rapid rise of
esports.
“For a really long period of time, there were a lot of one-year
deals, sometimes two-year deals, in esports,†he said. “Now other big
brands and traditional entertainment companies have started to invest,
and it’s allowed us to have an approach and strategy that’s pretty
identical to traditional sports entertainment,†Cohen said.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:10 AM on Wednesday, December 12th, 2018
Announced Affiliate Marketing Agreements with 14 additional esports teams as the Company continues to ramp up affiliate marketing activities in support of its launch of vie.gg, the world’s first and most transparent esports betting exchange
The addition of these 14 esports teams brings the total number of esports team affiliates to 190 since the Company’s first announcement on April 5th,
ST. MARY’S, Antigua, Dec. 12, 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 Affiliate Marketing Agreements with 14 additional esports teams as the Company continues to ramp up affiliate marketing activities in support of its launch of vie.gg, the world’s first and most transparent esports betting exchange.
The addition of these 14 esports teams brings the total number of
esports team affiliates to 190 since the Company’s first announcement on
April 5th, signifying widespread adoption of VIE’s favourable P2P
wagering in which an esports fan always wins, as opposed to pitting fans
against the “house†where the odds are heavily stacked against esports
fans.
To this end, the Company is pleased to announce the addition of pool
betting to VIE.gg. Pool betting is a further extension of our well
received P2P model, which allows groups of opposing fans to wager
against each other when their teams go head to head. This is especially
attractive to the fan bases of smaller esports teams and is anticipated
to be very successful in 2019.
NEWEST ESPORT TEAM AFFILIATES BRINGS PENETRATION INTO SOUTH EAST ASIAN MARKET
After significant expansion in Europe, South America and Central
America, the addition of today’s esports teams represents a significant
geographical expansion as they represent our first 11 Asian esports team
partners as follows:
• Nepal:
8
• Vietnam:
2
• Bangladesh:
1
Asia represents a significant portion of the global esports market
and the Company anticipates further penetration into Asian markets in
2019.
Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group, stated, “I want to
welcome all of our new esports team partners and especially those from
Asia. The region has a huge esports fan base and we look forward to
working closely with these teams as they engage with their fans at home
and around the globe.â€
ABOUT 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
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.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:53 AM on Tuesday, December 11th, 2018
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 an additional 42 Esports teams, bringing total to 176 Esports teams. Click here for more information
Esports will now be fully included as a medal sport in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the organizing committee of the host country, the Philippines, announced.
Announcement was made in a press conference held by the Philippines South East Asian Games Organizing Committee (PhilSGOC) in partnership with the Philippine Olympic Committee and gaming hardware company Razer on Wednesday in Pasay City.
The partnership aimed to elevate esports to a recognized medal sport at the SEA region’s vaunted biennial event.
Six gold medals for esports will be
awarded and split across three gaming platforms — two for console, two
for PC and two for mobile.
Only Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — a mobile MOBA game — has been confirmed as one of the esports titles included in the games as of the time of writing.
The other titles are expected to be finalized by December 15. According to the committee, the chosen games will have to
conform to the values of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and
“should not promote the culture of violence and gambling.â€
The esport athletes for each participating country will be chosen
through qualifying tournaments and there will be no direct invites for
established esport athletes.
We can expect that titles such as Dota 2 and League of Legends,
which both have established and thriving competitive scenes in both the
host country and SEA as a whole, to be among those announced later.
“We are very thrilled, excited, and
honored to have esports in the SEA Games with Razer as a partner. Gamers
are an important part of our community,†said PhilSGOC chairman Alan
Peter Cayetano.
Esports in the SEA Games has also been accredited by the Asian Electronic Sports Federation.
“This will bring aspiring esports athletes in Southeast Asia to the global stage,†said Razer Chief Strategy Officer Limeng Lee.
The co-founder and CEO of Razer,
Min-Liang Tan, revealed in a Facebook post that he visited the
Philippines earlier to meet with the PhilSGOC and encourage the
inclusion of esports as one of the medal sports in the games.
PhilSGOC representatives will also be
meeting with the SEA Games Federation Council when the latter visits
the country this week to inspect the proposed venue in Clark, Pampanga.
Esports was already included in the
recently-concluded 2018 Asian Games, albeit as a demonstration sport and
not as a medal event. Now, many anticipate that the SEA Games will be a
trial run for a potential esports event in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
