Agoracom Blog Home

Posts Tagged ‘esports’

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca Invests in Addicting Games, One of the Largest Online Multiplayer Game Networks $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:08 AM on Thursday, April 11th, 2019

Signs Agreement to Become Exclusive Monetization Partner

  • Addicting Games network of .io games reaches over 10 million gamers a month
  • Increases Enthusiast’s revenue and profits through 8 large web properties
  • Advanced internet speed and browser capabilities have propelled .io and “browser multiplayer” games into a fast growing gaming sector
  • Investment by Enthusiast allows Addicting Games to continue building network and developing new .io games

TORONTO, April 11, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Senior Convertible Debenture Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) to invest in Addicting Games Inc. (“Addicting Games”), one of the largest online game networks in the United States.

The Addicting Games network reaches over 10 million gamers monthly(1). They are leaders in developing and distributing browser games, and their platform focuses on the increasingly popular “browser multiplayer” .io website games. .io games are a popular new genre of real-time multiplayer games which are played in a browser, featuring addictive online multiplayer battles, with simple but hard to master gameplay. These games are becoming increasingly popular due to easy accessibility, mass multiplayer battles, and allowing players to play games within seconds from any computer with an internet connection.

The network includes popular games: Tactics Core (tacticscore.io), pumking.io, warfronts.io, shotz.io, skywars.io, seapop.io, skyarena.io and break out hit, Little Big Snake (littlebigsnake.io).  It also includes Shockwave, the original “Netflix” of games, where players subscribe to play over 1500 games online.  Addicting Games and Shockwave were previously purchased for $200 million in 2006 by Viacom.  Most recently, Addicting Games was bought from Defy Media by the original founders and they have been expanding the network rapidly ever since.

Under the Agreement, Enthusiast will invest US$1.5 million by way of a 3 year secured convertible debenture (the “Debenture”) with interest accruing at 2% per annum which is convertible into equity at the value of Addicting Games’ next equity raise. Enthusiast invested in Addicting Games to capitalize on the rapidly growing .io games sector and a new niche of lifestyle gamer that the network currently doesn’t reach.

Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast, commented, “With the rise in mobile gaming and the advent of HTML5 technology, every browser can now be a game console and therefore attract significantly more visitors.  We see the growth potential in console agnostic games and are excited to be partnering with Addicting Games to provide them with the best monetization strategy to execute on their continued growth and development of new browser based games.”

Bill Karamouzis, CEO of Addicting Games, commented, “It’s an exciting time to be in the gaming industry. The maturing of new technology has resulted in new alternative platforms for game distribution as well as ways to connect players in real time with each other to enhance the player experience. Addicting Games has always been the place to find great new fun games that can be played instantly and enjoyed by everyone. Partnering with Enthusiast is a natural fit with their deep commitment to gamers and community. We hope to leverage their expertise as we commit to the next generation of casual gamers and game developers.”

Enthusiast has also entered into a Representation Agreement to exclusively monetize advertisements across the Addicting Games portfolio of websites. The exclusive representation will increase Enthusiast’s revenue and profits through Addicting Games’ eight large digital properties. The Company plans to utilize its strong sales force and programmatic engine to further optimize the monetization of the Addicting Games platform which will help fund the development and acquisition of new .io games.

About Addicting Games

Founded by Bill Karamouzis, the world famous Addicting Games pioneered the casual game genre in the early 2000’s and continues to develop and distribute the very best games online. Reaching over 10 million gamers every month Addicting Games network players can enjoy a wide range of free browser-based games from brands such as Shockwave to the latest in streaming gaming IO Games Space. Visit us for the best free games released every week. Learn more about Addicting Games here: http://company.addictinggames.com/

About Enthusiast Gaming

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.

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – #Esports is Playing Out to Be a Big Opportunity for Investors $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:23 PM on Wednesday, April 10th, 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

———————–

eSports is Playing Out to Be a Big Opportunity for Investors

  • Esports sector represented just 1% of the global gaming market at nearly $700 million in 2017, with the industry expecting to reach $1.65 billion by 2021, representing a 27.4% CAGR estimates Newzoo.
  • Worldwide eSports viewership is expected to grow by nearly 50% from 2018 levels to 560 million by 2021

Sean Mason | April 10, 2019 | SmallCapPower: Video games are nothing new – people have been playing them since the 1970s. But with the proliferation of social media in recent years, electronic sports, or eSports, could eventually generate more revenue than traditional professional sporting events, such as National Football League (NFL) games.

eSports can be most simply defined as organized, competitive video gaming at the professional level, where participants compete in a virtual environment for money and recognition. Much of eSports’ appeal is in its inclusivity, as anyone with dexterity and determination can, in theory and with plenty of practice, reach an elite level regardless of their athleticism. And thanks to the Internet, eSports tournaments have quickly gone global. This, after all, is due to the fact that the distribution of eSports is almost entirely digital, with fans being able to stream eSports content for free anywhere in the world.

To give you an idea how much growth potential exists within the eSports sector, it represented just 1% of the global gaming market at nearly $700 million in 2017, with the industry expecting to reach $1.65 billion by 2021, representing a 27.4% CAGR estimates Newzoo.

With its popularity rising, worldwide eSports viewership is expected to grow by nearly 50% from 2018 levels to 560 million by 2021. In fact, in the U.S. eSports viewership on key streaming platforms such as Twitch, Youtube, and TV with traditional channels like TBS, ESPN have already surpassed that of the NHL and is expected to take the #2 spot behind the NFL by 2021, according to an August 2018 report by Eight Capital, adding that the sector remains under-monetized relative to traditional sports. To put that into perspective, average revenue per eSports enthusiast was just $3.60 in 2017, a fraction of the $15 average revenue per basketball fan and $54 average per sports fan globally, this based on a study by Newzoo.

Audience engagement for eSports is extremely high, which has become ideal for advertisers to target a captive and young demographic. According to a Goldman Sachs eSports report dated October 2018, eSports generated an estimated $655 million in annual revenue in 2017, 38% of which came from sponsorships, 14% from media rights, and 9% from ticket revenue. By 2022, though, media rights are anticipated to reach 40% of total eSports revenue, with sponsorship expected to become the second largest contributor of revenue at 35%.

Goldman Sachs believes eSports will increasingly migrate from PCs to other platforms, such as console and mobile. For mobile eSports, Goldman Sachs said it is seeing increased venture investment in the space. Since 2013, there has been $3.3 billion of venture capital investment in eSports-related start-ups, which is set to capitalize on two primary trends: the opportunity for live-streaming to monetize the growth in eSports; and the popularity of eSports in Asia. China’s eSports market is derived from the largest gamer base in the world, with approximately 442 million gamers by the end of 2017 and a 57.2% penetration rate of China Internet users, according to CNNIC.

Technological evolution in the eSports space will likely mean more money will flow into trends such as streaming, mobile, and Virtual Reality (VR). To that end, Canadian company YDX Innovation Corp. (TSXV:YDX) already has direct experience in eSports in addition to a product that fits well with the segment.

“When we created our VR game a year and a half ago, we already knew we were taking the platform in an eSports direction,” YDX Innovation CEO Daniel Japiassu told SmallCapPower in an interview.

YDX Innovation’s Arkave VR Arena is a gaming platform that brings an immersive Virtual Reality experience to different venues – a highly scalable business model according to the Company. YDX Innovation announced recently that it had signed an agreement with eSports company Jackpot Rising to organize tournaments using Arkave VR. 

And, in 2019, YDX plans to launch its Game On festival for the new gamers, younger players who have not yet experienced competitive gaming. 

“This is an industry (eSports) fueled by people 10 years of age and older,” Mr. Japiassu said, adding that although it’s a new industry there’s already a substantial number of participants. 

Disclosure: Neither the author nor his family own shares in the company mentioned above.

Source: https://smallcappower.com/expert-articles/esports-investment-opportunity/

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca Acquires Significant Interest in Waveform Entertainment, a Leading Esports Operator and Tournament Producer $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:32 AM on Tuesday, April 9th, 2019
  • Producers of major esports events in Canada including Dreamhack, GOML, Cineplex, CNE, WESG (EGLX)
  • Partners with major brands and sponsors including Ubisoft, NXNE, AMD, CSL
  • Strategic partnership expands Enthusiast’s client services to include experiential advertising, esports tournaments, and broadcast and production capabilities

TORONTO, April 09, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF) (“Enthusiast” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, signed a definitive agreement to purchase 20% of the issued and outstanding shares (“Purchased Shares”) in Waveform Entertainment Inc. (“Waveform”) for an aggregate consideration of $1,680,000 (the “Subscription Price”). Waveform is a leading esports broadcast and production company specializing in the organization of premium esports tournaments world-wide. Enthusiast has also secured an irrevocable option, at its sole discretion, to acquire a 100% interest in Waveform. (the “Buy-Out Option”).

While Waveform was established in 2018, its team has been on the leading edge of esports event production and broadcast for several years, servicing some of the world’s most prestigious esports tournaments and events including Dreamhack, Cineplex WorldGaming, and Enthusiast owned, EGLX.

“Investing in Waveform will contribute greatly to the expansion of EGLX and our events business. Waveform’s infrastructure and expertise are key for the roll out of the Rising Star Series and upcoming esports tournaments at EGLX in the future,” commented Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast. “We were very impressed by the organization of our esports tournaments at EGLX in October 2018 and we see significant growth potential as esports continue to soar.”

Waveform was responsible for the broadcast, production and execution of Canada’s largest esports tournament, WESG Canadian Finals at EGLX in October 2018. Enthusiast will continue to partner with Waveform as EGLX executes on its North American expansion plan and introduces the Rising Stars Series this summer.  Waveform will provide the infrastructure, broadcast and event support to drive the expansion and continued growth of EGLX in 2020.

As esports continues to grow with $1.1bn in projected revenues in 2019,(1) large brands are entering the industry by sponsoring esports teams and championing their own activations.  Waveform has partnered with major brands including Evil Geniuses, Virtus Pro, Ubisoft, AMD, Asus, Team Liquid and more.  The investment into Waveform will help Enthusiast’s mission to reach gamers both online and offline. The Company will provide digital advertising and experiential marketing opportunities to major brands and publishers, increasing visibility and event attendance.  The partnership enables Enthusiast’s event business to increase its client services portfolio to include event production, broadcast, streaming services and creative experiential brand ambassadorship programs. In turn, the partnership also allows Enthusiast’s platform to promote Waveform’s business and portfolio of large brands and help them drive new partnerships moving forward.

Terms of Transaction

The Purchased Shares will be purchased pursuant to the terms of a share subscription agreement (the “Agreement”), among Waveform and a wholly owned subsidiary of Enthusiast created for the purpose of the transaction. Pursuant to the Agreement, Enthusiast agreed to purchase the Purchased Shares in three tranches: (i) on April 4, 2019, Enthusiast purchased 40.5% of the Purchased Shares for a portion of the Subscription Price, being $680,000.00; (ii) Enthusiast agreed to purchase, on or before (as decided by Enthusiast) October 4, 2019, 29.75% of the Purchased Shares for a portion of the Subscription Price, being $500,000.00; and (iii) Enthusiast agreed to purchase, on or before (as decided by Enthusiast) June 3, 2020, 29.75% of the Purchased Shares for a portion of the Subscription Price, being $500,000.00. On the date Waveform and Enthusiast entered into the Agreement, they also entered into a Shareholders’ Agreement for Waveform (the “Shareholders’ Agreement”). The aggregate purchase price for all Waveform’s shares, if the Buy-Out Option is exercised by Enthusiast shall be equal to the greater of: (i) four (4) times Waveform’s gross revenue (as defined in the Shareholders’ Agreement), multiplied by eighty percent (80%); or (ii) $7,680,000 (the “Option Purchase Price”). The Option Purchase Price will be subject to agreed adjustments.

The purchase of the Purchased Shares on the two remaining tranches, as well as the exercise of the Buy-Out Option (if exercised by Enthusiast) are subject to obtainment of all applicable regulatory approvals (including by the TSX Venture Exchange).

About Enthusiast Gaming

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.

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

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.

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca – The State Of #Esports: Why Investors Should Pay Attention $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:00 PM on Monday, April 8th, 2019

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 partial 2018 reported revenue of $7.4 million representing a 625% increase over the same period in 2017.

Images
EGLX: TSX-V
———————————-

The State Of eSports: Why Investors Should Pay Attention


  • Forget marijuana stocks and cryptocurrencies, one of the latest disruptive trends investors are looking to capitalize on in 2019 is professional video gaming.
  • “esports,” brings millions of spectators around the world together both online and on-location to watch competitive video gaming.
  • Now, 2019 is slated to be the first year the industry surpasses $1 billion in revenue, solidifying esports’ position as a serious contender on the world stage.

Luis Aureliano , Benzinga Contributor

Newzoo Global Esports Economy 2019

Market research firm Newzoo released its 2019 report on the global esports economy last month and projects revenue for the industry to reach $1.1 billion marking an impressive +26.7 percent growth year-on-year. Newzoo indicates the fastest growing revenue stream for the industry is the selling of media rights for viewing esports with an expected growth of 41.8 percent in 2019. 

Media Rights and Increased Viewership

When it comes to esports entertainment, popular streaming platform Twitch.tv, which was acquired by Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN 0.57% for $970 million in 2014, has been at the forefront. Earlier this year, Twitch and Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI 0.42% agreed on a two year, $90 million-minimum deal to grant the streaming platform broadcasting rights for one of Activision Blizzard’s most successful games and competition, the Overwatch League (OWL).

The expansion of media rights as a revenue stream fits with the explosive growth in viewership for esports as a whole. Compared to just years ago, viewership for esports has grown significantly, particularly for League of Legends, the most popular competitive game. During the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational, League of Legends attracted more than 60 million unique viewers. To put things into perspective, the most-watched NBA game since 1998 attracted roughly half that number in 2016 with a record 30.8 million viewers during game 7.

Number of Unique Viewers for Select Esports Competitions, Statista 

The Early Esports Advantage 

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of esports for investors isn’t just the size of the audiences but the state of the market. While esports has grown substantially since its inception, the industry is still mainly a nascent one. Consider Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch as an example again since the title was one of the first games launched with esports already in mind.

Since its launch in 2016, the company has franchised out geo-located teams for Season 1 of the OWL that began last year. Now, as Season 2 is underway, the league is beginning to look more like a traditional professional sport with teams like the “London Spitfire,” “LA Gladiators,” and many others spreading from New York all the way to China and South Korea. And yet, because the OWL is still so young, no teams have their own home arenas to play in as one would expect for a professional sports team — yet.

In Philadelphia, home to the OWL’s “Philadelphia Fusion,” Comcast Corporation CMCSA 0.41% is investing to build a $50 million esports-specific arena; the first in the league. Set to be placed directly in the center of the Philadelphia Sports Complex alongside the homes of the Eagles, Flyers, 76ers, and Phillies, the 60,000 square foot arena is expected to seat 3,500 spectators and include training and broadcasting facilities as well. 

Compared to the well-established world of professional sports, esports offers a unique opportunity for investors to still gain access during the industry’s infancy. 

Growing Pains 

Though esports has experienced impressive growth, that’s not to say it hasn’t come with some growing pains along the way. A major pain point is due to the decentralized nature of competitive play as the term “esports” encompasses a vast array of different game titles, playerbases, and various leagues. Because of the fractured nature of esports, it’s not uncommon for a title to have several unaffiliated leagues for professional players like Counter Strike:Global Offensive’s open circuit system.

However, there are efforts to reduce that confusion and forward the maturity of esports. After the success of the OWL, Activision Blizzard has hinted at the creation of a similar league for Call of Duty with geo-located franchised teams. Likewise, other actors are looking to meet the needs of standardization and legitimacy for esports as well. One of the largest platforms to-date with over a million users, DreamTeam, is creating standardization for professional players across many titles like League of Legends, CS:GO and Electronic Art’s EA 1.06% latest success, Apex Legends. The platform is aiming to bring players together with event organizers, team owners and sponsors to offer an all-in-one solution for professional gaming as a whole.

Amateur players can use the platform to create teams of their own to compete and work their way to the professional levels of play, drastically reducing the barrier to entry for many games. For some titles, that barrier to entry can be steep too. In the case of League of Legends, North American teams seeking a franchise spot had to pay a hefty $10 million fee — in Overwatch, that fee was $20 million per team and potentially doubling for expansion teams in the future. With a lower barrier to entry for players around the world and an easy-to-understand ecosystem, DreamTeam is working to bridge the gap for players forming a professional team.    

The Bottom Line 

With the advent of franchised teams, massive media rights deals and the attraction of big name sponsors like The Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO) and Red Bull, it’s clear that video games are no longer just a way for kids to kill time. Now, competitive gaming is one of the fastest growing industries and investors are quickly looking to get in. Whether buying a team of one’s own or investing in the endemic brands propelling esports forward, investors all over are recognizing the promising future of the industry. 

Image sourced from Pixabay

Source: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/19/04/13488198/the-state-of-esports-why-investors-should-pay-attention

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/

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.

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – #Simplicity set to open five esports gaming centers $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:29 AM on Friday, March 29th, 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

———————–

Simplicity set to open five esports gaming centers

  • Simplicity has identified locations for five esports gaming centers, representing around 9,000 square feet of space with over 150 gaming stations.
  • The first center will be located in Boca Raton, which is scheduled to have its grand opening in April of this year.

Logo credit: Simplicity

Simplicity has now opened its franchise partner program, allowing the centers to be opened in new locations by partners while retaining the organisation’s branding. The centers are said to “feature cutting edge technology including high performance PCs.”

Jed Kaplan, CEO of Simplicity discussed the venture in a statement: “I am excited to announce the opening of our first Esports Gaming Center and the locations of our next four. Our goal is to open 15 locations by year end and a total of 50 nationwide in the next 24 months. Additionally, we offer attractive opportunities for advertisers and sponsors to connect with our audience via our digital and physical real estate.”

In late 2018, Simplicity was acquired by SMAAASH Entertainment. In a statement given at the time of the deal, F. Jacob Cherian, CEO of SMAAASH Entertainment revealed that the company aimed to build “brick and mortar esports centers.”

Following the merger, Kaplan joined SMAAASH Entertainment as its Co-CEO and is a minority owner of NBA team Memphis Grizzlies and Welsh football club Swansea City.

Simplicity is currently partnered with esports apparel company Raven GG and competes in PUBG, SMITE, Gears of War, and NHL.

Esports Insider says: More and more companies and organisations are looking to open centers, either for internal use or aimed at the public. As gaming and esports continue to be gradually embraced by the general public, there’s potential for these establishments to become mainstays all around the globe. These plans sound very ambitious considering Simplicity’s centers are unproven in terms of popularity so we’ll have to see how things pan out after the Boca Raton center opens.

Source: https://esportsinsider.com/2019/03/simplicity-esports-gaming-centers/

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca Hires Former #CBS Interactive and #Vox Media Sales Director as VP of Sales $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:43 AM on Friday, March 29th, 2019

Veteran Sales Executive to Lead Los Angeles Sales Office for Fastest Growing Gaming Property

  • Announced that it has hired David Newman as Vice President of Sales.
  • David brings more than 18 years of experience across multiple disciplines, including sales, marketing, business development, and public relations, and is expected to play a key role in driving the national sales strategies

TORONTO, March 29, 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 it has hired David Newman as Vice President of Sales. David brings more than 18 years of experience across multiple disciplines, including sales, marketing, business development, and public relations, and is expected to play a key role in driving the national sales strategies for Enthusiast Gaming in an attempt to achieve its revenue objectives.

Prior to joining Enthusiast Gaming, David served as the Director, Brand Partnerships for Machinima (Warner Media / AT&T), based in LA, California. Previous to Machinima, David spent a number of years as the Director, Sales for Vox Media and CBS Interactive, where he led National Sales teams to deliver exceptional results year after year, including activations and partnerships with Microsoft Xbox, Activision, 2K Games, Qualcomm and Modelo.

David will be heading the Los Angeles office and will focus on building out key activations for brands and agencies looking to target Esports and video game verticals. His extensive sales experience across various media and advertising industries will be instrumental in helping execute the long term direct sales strategy of Enthusiast Gaming, and in helping develop and foster key advertising partnerships. 

Recently ranked as the fastest growing gaming property in North America by ComScore, Enthusiast Gaming believes the addition of David is a significant step in strengthening its direct sales team and in driving revenue and key partnership growth.

Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming commented, “We are thrilled to welcome David to our North America sales team. His experience in media and advertising sales and proven track record of delivering results is invaluable to the growth of Enthusiast’s key partnerships. One of our main focuses for 2019 is to build out a successful direct sales strategy to drive revenue, and David will be a valuable asset for Enthusiast to do so.”

About Enthusiast Gaming

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.

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca – #Drake #Drizzy invests in esports startup Players’ Lounge $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:50 PM on Thursday, March 28th, 2019

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 partial 2018 reported revenue of $7.4 million representing a 625% increase over the same period in 2017.

Images
EGLX: TSX-V
———————————-

Drake invests in esports startup Players’ Lounge

Sara Fischer

Drake — along with media and tech heavyweights Marissa Mayer, Strauss Zelnick and others — is investing $3 million into the seed funding round for Players’ Lounge, an esports platform where gamers can play their favorite video games against others for prizes straight from their living room.

Why it matters: It’s the latest example of a celebrity investing in esports. NBA superstar Chris Bosh joined esports franchise Gen.G as a player management advisor last year. Other big names, from Michael Jordan to Steph Curry, are investing in professional esports teams.

Other investors include Comcast, Macro Ventures, Canaan, RRE, and Courtside VC.

The details: Players’ Lounge allows gamers to compete in skill-based esports competitions for cash prizes. Its mission is to create a social platform for casual gamers to connect, get matched, and compete without having to be a pro.

  • This is different from platforms like Twitch or YouTube gaming that focus on streaming tournaments.
  • Like Instagram, Players’ Lounge is hoping to give average people a platform to compete and win money on esports games, in hopes of eventually popularizing winners and leveraging their influencer status to grow the brand.
  • Players can compete on PS4, Xbox One or PC devices. Anyone can make an account and deposit funds into their Players’ Lounge account via credit card, PayPal or cryptocurrency.
  • Once the scores are verified, the winner receives the prize money from the pool players invested in upfront. These are usually small sums that players can compete for incrementally, although the company does also host bigger tournaments.
  • Players’ Lounge says it gives out millions of dollars worth of cash prizes each month.

The big picture: Players’ Lounge is making it easy for casual gamers to earn cash from esports. Otherwise, the only way to make money in esports is to go pro, which takes a lot of time and resources, or to become a streamer via Twitch or Youtube, which focuses more on personality than gaming skills.

“It’s kind of like the intramural network for esports. There’s a huge community potential.”

— Austin Woolridge, cofounder and CEO of Players’ Lounge

Bottom line: Esports is still a fledgling industry compared to professional sports, but big names are investing in it because it’s growing so fast, and the upside looks promising. Celebrities, and especially celebrity athletes, see this as a way to connect with hyper-engaged sports fans, who may not have the appetite to participate in real sports but still want to compete with peers and develop a community around game play.

Source: https://www.axios.com/drake-pours-money-into-e-1553739364-3e68a463-5352-40f8-b718-40e076f64ead.htm

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – Esports Popularity Around The Globe $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, March 27th, 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

———————–

Esports Popularity Around The Globe

  • Recent years have seen an explosion in the popularity of esports, fuelled by an insatiable appetite in Asia.
  • You can be sure that when a new trend starts, the USA won’t be far away from the action.
  • The country has taken esports to its heart and produced big names, like the celebrity gamer Ninja, otherwise known as Tyler Blevins from Michigan.

Maël Valentin

Recent years have seen an explosion in the popularity of esports, fuelled by an insatiable appetite in Asia. It’s not just a case of playing your favorite games hoping to get a better score than your friends; players compete for mega bucks and have become rich and famous.

Massive Growth in Asia

There are billions of dollars to be made in the esports business. Forecasters believe that the global market will expand by 75% to $1.6bn by the end of 2021. The arrival of smartphones has made esports even easier to play.

A major area of growth is in the number of live tournaments. Mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter ONE Championship has already made a $50m investment and wants to hold esports events alongside MMA matches.

China listed esports as an official sport in 2003 and 13 years later, it was declared a national industry.  Another major boost came in 2018 when esports became a demonstration sport at the Asian Games. The next event takes place in 2022 and esports will be an official medal sport.

More partnerships are being forged as companies realize just how much money could be made in the future. The number of competitive players in China doubled last year leading to online companies such as Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings to set up venues in the country. Rural areas, as well as the major cities, are being targeted, and events take place on a weekly basis.

It’s big news for game developers as the tournaments create more awareness of their products. The hope is that games such as League of Legends and Dota 2 will see their already impressive sales boosted.

Academies are opening up in countries such as China, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. It’s becoming big business with students paying up to $975 for a month’s tuition, all dreaming of becoming professional players. Achieving that dream could see them earning up to $700,000 a year.

Japan has also seen incredible growth in the popularity of esports. That’s led to increased sales of high-performance gaming computers that eliminate the possibility of even the shortest lag. Be sure to check out our own reviews for the best gaming gear.

The Tokyo Game Show held in October 2018 saw plenty of talk about esports. The second-hand market for these computers also sees increased business. Others just go to many internet cafes and use their superior equipment.

Perhaps the best-known Asian market of all is South Korea, which is regarded as the country that started the esport revolution. Gamers like Faker, Bang and Wolf are more or less household names.

pic.twitter.com/fSt5DnM0SQ — Faker (@SKTelecomFaker) January 30, 2019

South Korea hosts probably the biggest live esports event in the world – the League of Legends World Championship.

The Middle East is catching up

Dubai is a place of extravagance, and the Middle Eastern kingdom has already made it known it would like to be a global gaming destination for esports. The United Arab Emirates is already constructing the region’s first dedicated esports venue, catering for players who can’t get enough of games like Counter-Strike. Pro teams play each other with over $54,000 won in prize money. Overwatch is also popular, and teams in the UAE include Risky Gaming, Inferno Game Zone and Dubai Mirage.

However, esports is still some way behind other social online entertainment there, such as online casinos. Despite land casinos and sports betting being prohibited, locals are able to find plenty of legal opportunities to play online.

Saudi Arabia is another part of the Middle East enjoying rising esports popularity; there’s even official government representation and support for competitive gaming.

The United States and esports

You can be sure that when a new trend starts, the USA won’t be far away from the action. The country has taken esports to its heart and produced big names, like the celebrity gamer Ninja, otherwise known as Tyler Blevins from Michigan.

Source: https://www.talkesport.com/statistics/esports-popularity-around-the-globe/