Tag: Esports

Philippines — Telecommunications company PLDT’s wireless division Smart communication is partnering with SM to bring back SM Cyberzone Game Fest this year, a gaming event that features esports tournaments, a meet-and-greet with influencers, new product displays, sales and many more.

Precy P. Katigbak, FVP and head of national key accounts at PLDT and Smart, commented that they are excited to support Filipino esports athletes and gaming enthusiasts from all walks of life, by providing the best experience and the fastest LTE and 5G mobile network to power their game.

“With our massive network rollout and through our partnership with SM Cyberzone, we hope to empower our digital-savvy customers as they pursue their passions in mobile gaming and technology,” Katigbak said.

Mark Ramilo, group marketing manager of Cyberzone, said, “Throughout the years, we have been supporting the gaming community here in the country. Through SM Cyberzone’s Game Fest, we provide them with a venue to celebrate their passion for gaming. We want to help them further elevate their game through the latest tech-assured products that we have in Cyberzone.”

Smart also introduced GIGA Arena at the event. GIGA Arena is the country’s first all-in-one platform that aims to bring the total esports experience to the fingertips of subscribers. Open to all Smart and TNT customers, GIGA Arena lets users match up with fellow players to compete in daily, weekly, and monthly tournaments on gigarena.smart for prestige and cash prizes.

Aside from enabling users to compete in live tournaments, the all-in-one platform also comes with innovative features that allow mobile gamers to set up tournaments, stream live competitions, play arcade games, purchase e-load, and conveniently link their e-wallet to secure their tournament winnings via GigaPay with PayMaya, among others.

In partnership with Smart, SM Cyberzone Game Fest also recently held its first all-women Mobile Legends tournament. Smart and SM Cyberzone are also set to enable other community tournaments all throughout the three-month campaign.

Singapore – GosuGamers, a portal for esports information, has announced that it now has a domain in Southeast Asia market Vietnam. The recent expansion, which is part of its growth and future plans, also included Thailand and India. 

The move is being supported with new appointments to provide even more expertise for the publication. Hung Do Viet, the general secretary of the Vietnam National Esports Federation, is now part of the Vietnam team as an advisor, while Thong Kai Xuan, a media industry veteran, will operate as the group’s chief operating officer.

“We have been monitoring the region’s interests in esports for a while now, and this latest move makes perfect sense for us as an organisation and for the many fans that are looking for refreshing and quality content,” explains Samson Oh, CEO of GosuGamers.

The digital media said that with the emergence of esports as an important pillar of content in Southeast Asia, especially with India becoming the global leader for mobile games downloads, it looks to provide relevant and localised esports content for said markets with the help of global and local partners.

“Localised content will speak to our audience and relate to them. It is vital to put the interests of our audience at the heart of our content, not just in the region, but also globally,” shared Kai Xuan.

In addition to the latest esports updates and extensive tournament coverage across various popular esports titles such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, and League of Legends, the organisation also leverages data to provide GG (GosuGamers) Live Stats, an innovative feature where users are able to view heat maps and real-time predictions during live tournaments.

The team said it hopes to build on its growing audience by reaching at least 50 million fans by 2023, starting with the three new regions.

New York, USA – NBCUniversal, a popular global media and technology company, has unveiled a new partnership with Anzu.io, an in-game advertising platform to further enrich NBCUniversal’s capabilities in growing entertainment areas like gaming and esports. 

NBCUniversal enlists the strategic partnership with Anzu as a global sales partner and the exclusive third-party seller in the US and UK. Now, NBCUniversal’s clients will be able to run non-intrusive, in-game ads across Anzu’s cross-platform gaming inventory— which spans mobile, PC and consoles—and use interactive, data-driven, contextual, and programmatic in-game advertising solutions, all with the high standards of privacy and brand safety they’ve come to expect from NBCUniversal’s One Platform.

Moreover, partners will also have access to Anzu’s full suite of leading adtech integrations as well as its robust measurement—including ad viewability, brand lift measurement, audience verification, data enrichment, and fraud detection—powered by Anzu’s partnerships with trusted industry leaders like Moat, Comscore, Human, Lumen, and Kochava.

Krishan Bhatia, president & chief business officer of NBCUniversal, shared, “NBCUniversal continues to reach consumers at scale on any platform and on every screen. In addition to streaming, gaming is one of the fastest growing ways to reach young audiences.” 

“This partnership with Anzu will allow our marketers to engage with an audience of over three billion gamers worldwide, and we’re only getting started,” Bhatia added.

As part of the deal, Anzu will be able to access the power of NBCUniversal’s One Platform, including its client and agency relationships, and marketing teams. Meanwhile, Anzu’s cross-platform ad monetization solution will help game developers generate significant revenue while respecting their players and adding to the overall gaming experience.

Itamar Benedy, co-founder & ceo of Anzu, commented, “We’re excited to bring our best-in-class tech and exclusive inventory to one of the world’s leading ad sales teams. This new partnership means more brands and agencies will be able to take advantage of our solution to reach an engaged and untapped audience within the world’s most popular titles while preserving the gamer experience. We also believe, over the next few years, most Fortune 500 brands will incorporate gaming into their ad strategies and the partnership with NBCUniversal brings us a step closer to this becoming a reality.”

This latest partnership announcement comes in the run up to NBCUniversal’s tech developer conference, ONE22 taking place on March 22nd, where the company is expected to announce its latest capabilities and partnerships in the data, technology, and measurement space.

Singapore – Singapore-based ONE Esports, a subsidiary of sports media firm ONE Championship, has announced its partnership with player analytics platform, Mobalytics, to create a series of multi-platform content to help players improve their performance in esports.

Through the partnership, ONE Esports will collaborate with Mobalytics to create a range of unique content pieces to be published on oneesports.gg and mobalytics.gg, as well as across both companies’ social channels. 

Both companies will leverage each other’s distribution capabilities to further expand their reach and engagement among Gen Z and Millennial esports fans and players. ONE Esports and Mobalytics will also work together to execute co-branded content across their websites.

Carlos Alimurung, CEO of ONE Esports, believes that ONE Esports has an expertise in producing engaging content and reaching large audiences through its platform, and that this partnership with Mobalytics will help strengthen the bonds that they have with fans who want to enhance their in-game competitiveness.

“Mobalytics’ insightful analytics is a great complement to ONE Esports’ captivating storytelling capabilities, and we look forward to helping gamers win more frequently and decisively,” said Alimurung.

Meanwhile, Bogdan Suchyk, CEO and Co-founder of Mobalytics, commented, “We are thrilled to enter into a content partnership with one of the top esports media platforms in the world. As the all-in-one gaming companion for gamers, our in-depth player stats and game analytics will take ONE Esports’ content to the next level and enable readers to master their favourite games. 

“ONE Esports is a reputable producer of gaming, esports, and entertainment content across multiple distribution channels, and this collaboration will bring new storytelling possibilities to the Mobalytics platform and community,” added Suchyk.

In February this year, ONE Esports has also partnered with financial institution HSBC to deliver tailor-made content to help players manage prized resources in multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, with useful hints and tips.

Malaysia – Financial institution HSBC has partnered with esports media company ONE Esports, aimed at changing the way players engage with esports.

ONE Esports said that in-game resource management is a crucial strategic aspect of esports, but there is little financial guidance on how to optimise these valuable assets. As part of the partnership, both HSBC and ONE Esports will be delivering tailor-made content to help players manage prized resources in multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, with useful hints and tips. The expert advice will also be designed to be transferable to life outside of gaming.

Moreover, ONE’s Analytics and Insights team will also be conducting research and producing a report on the SEA esports community’s preferences and behaviour’s related to financial services.

Jonathan Castleman, HSBC’s global head of brand and brand partnerships, commented that they are excited to partner with ONE Esports and work together to help gamers, fans, and teams with their in-game and real-life financial fitness.

“Our wider partnership with ONE Esports will help us to learn about an industry that is growing fast, and that is increasingly important to many of our existing and future customers,” said Castleman.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alimurung, ONE Esports’ CEO, said, “Esports has already achieved huge growth, and its potential continues to soar. HSBC has a proven track record of helping individuals and businesses unlock opportunities, and this partnership can help us all reach new heights.”

The partnership, starting as a pilot in Malaysia and Indonesia, will also see HSBC partner with ONE Esports on 10 community tournaments and one major event this 2022.

London, United Kingdom – Competitive esports and video streaming platform VeraEsports has been tapped by game developer Riot Games to be its official esports partner for the upcoming VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) APAC, Challengers 2022.

The VALORANT Champions Tour is a year-long event that takes the best teams from across the globe and pits them against each other during three levels: ‘Challengers’, ‘Masters’, and ‘Champions’. In 2021, the Champions Tour attracted over one million peak viewers and averaged some 500,000 viewers during the course of the tournament.

Through the partnership, VeraEsports will make exclusive content available for VeraEsports viewers, including match highlights, special features, and access to an exclusive library of content. Said content will be available in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

RJ Mark, founder at VeraEsports, says, “We are proud to renew and enhance our partnership with Riot Games and the VCT. Enabling new and breakthrough community experiences is our goal and this year we bring even more value through an exclusive VCT content hub on VeraEsports.” 

He added, “The community will now be able to watch and earn across both VOD-based content and live broadcasts. We’ve only just scratched the surface on what we can achieve together with Riot Games and we are excited to bring more value in the future.”

The ‘watch and earn’ program of VeraEsports encourages esports fans to earn points and redeem them for exclusive rewards while they watch their favourite Esports tournaments. VeraEsports will be beta-testing its patented proof of view (POV) technology, developed by its parent brand Verasity, to combat fraudulent advertising viewership during the Valorant Champions Tour APAC.

Meanwhile, Chris Tran, head of esports for SEA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau at Riot Games, commented, “This partnership reflects the great strength and growth potential of the VCT in the region. Despite VALORANT Esports being launched only about a year ago, we’ve had an amazing level of engagement and passion from our community. We look forward to working with VeraEsports on making VCT APAC even better this year by bringing the very best VCT content to our players and fans across the region.”

VeraEsports is built upon the infrastructure of protocol and product layer blockchain platform Verasity, which focuses on esports and digital content.

Dubai, UAE – Dubai-based esports organisation Galaxy Racer (GXR) has appointed Rohin Bhaumik, former marketing lead at gaming publisher Garena, to be its new head of creators and talent for South Asia. 

Bhaumik has a strong background in esports and gaming, having worked both as an influencer and in creator management at Intel India and Garena’s BOOYAH!, where he created multiple IP’s around the creators across games such as Free Fire, GTA Online, and Fall Guys. He was also a major stakeholder in the launch of BOOYAH! Esports in 2021. Moreover, Bhaumik has previously worked with leading brands such as PUBG Mobile and OnePlus. 

As part of his new role at GXR, Bhaumik will be focusing on both current and future content creators, scaling them at hyper-growth speed.

GXR believes that Bhaumik can bridge the gap between all stakeholders within the ecosystem, and it anticipates that his knowledge and experience will bring great value to the team.

Commenting on his appointment, Bhaumik said, “I look forward to growing our content creators and providing them with the highest quality content possible that will support their growth.”

Paul Roy, Galaxy Racer’s CEO, shared that with the aggressive expansion of their organization at the hyper-growth stage and particularly their content creators network throughout South Asia, it is key that their creative output is of the highest calibre with an end-to-end support structure.

“Rohin’s wealth of experience will undoubtedly make him an invaluable asset to the Galaxy Racer family. Welcome to our galaxy,” said Roy.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia — The Chiefs Esports, a subsidiary of SQID Technologies, has renewed its sponsorship agreement with popular energy drink brand Red Bull for a further 12 months with an extension option available for another 12 months. The two entities have been partnering since 2016, with this renewal it marks the longest standing team-based major esports sponsorship in Australian & New Zealand history.

The Chiefs team and Red Bull will continue to work together with the members sustaining their responsibility as brand ambassadors alongside the catalogue of other significant traditional sports athletes and professional teams under Red Bull. This portfolio includes more than 90 disciplines, and some notable stars namely Max Verstappen, Neymar, Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins, RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls and many more.

Red Bull has been an active supporter of the esports scene for more than a decade, with their first signing of an ambassador in 2006. Since then, they sponsor top teams and the largest events in each region as well as operating their own tournaments ranging between grassroots initiatives and the largest events in the world like the Red Bull Kumite, Red Bull Player One, Red Bull Guardians, Red Bull Campus Clutch, Red Bull Flick and more.

Nick Bobir, chief executive officer of The Chiefs, commented, “Red Bull has been a major supporter 6 years now and we’re extremely proud that they have again put their faith in us to continue to deliver Championships and represent the brand on the world stage. It’s no secret the Red Bull media machine is one of the most influential in the sports world and we can’t wait to produce more content to showcase our team’s journey to a wider audience.”

Red Bull will feature prominently across The Chiefs’ branding, including major jersey placement, as they strive to add to their 22x National Championship trophy cabinet. The Chiefs will be competing in the League of Legends LCO, Rainbow Six | Siege: APAC Pro League, and the Halo Championship Series where the team currently sits at 1st place. The contract will provide a 33.33% increase in Red Bull contract revenue, plus the opportunity for performance bonuses.

Singapore – Nexplay, a regional esports and technology startup, has appointed Miguel Bernas, one of its early investors, as its newest president and co-founder, where he will be leading the startup’s strategy and corporate governance, as well as spearhead fundraising as the company moves towards its Series A investment round.

Bringing into the startup over 25 years of global media industry experience, he has worked with some of the world’s known media brands such as television networks MTV, CNBC, Singapore’s Mediacorp, and digital media Yahoo. In addition, he has also led marketing teams in global and the Asia-Pacific roles at Nokia, Singtel and PayPal.

Speaking about his appointment, Bernas said, “The games industry is at an inflection point. Aside from further expanding our esports ecosystem, we also plan to venture into the high-growth area of Web3.0, NFTs and blockchain gaming. In the same way that games leaped from arcades to the home, from desktop devices to mobile handsets and from offline to online, blockchain technology will be the next revolution in gaming.”

Nexplay is looking to bolster its esports ecosystem and enhance its professional esports teams and content creator offerings to brands and advertisers.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Benito, CEO and founder of Nexplay, commented, “[Bernas] has been part of our team, backing us when all we had was a prototype and being one of our earliest investors. To have him step up into a more active role and bring his global media experience to Nexplay will be a huge benefit to the team.”

Manila, Philippines – Despite the ongoing pandemic, sports is still making a mainstream comeback, and now more than ever, being amplified across social media platforms such as Twitter. In the Philippines, sports still dominates the online discussions among Filipinos with basketball echoing its popularity on Twitter.

According to the latest statistics released by the platform, discussions about basketball in the Philippines generated over 6.2 million tweets, a jump of 6.90% versus 2020. In particular, most of the basketball-related Tweets were due to the excitement brought by the NBA All-Star and NBA Playoffs in 2021. The hashtag #nbaallstar was also often used, while Lebron James (@kingjames) and Stephen Curry (@stephencurry30) were some of the top players Filipinos Tweeted about in 2021.

Meanwhile, online discussion about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics also prevailed among Filipinos’ sport discussion, with weightlifting athlete Hidilyn Diaz being the first ever Filipino athlete to win gold in the Olympics, and Filipino skater Margielyn Didal who captured people’s hearts with her cheerful nature on and off the skating rink.

There has been a notable uptick in discussion as well in the realm of esports, when Blacklist International, the esports team under Tier One, emerged as champions in the M3 World Grand Finals last December 2021. Other esports discussions include #GenshinImpact being the most-tweeted about hashtag in gaming, while interactive games such as Valorant and Mobile Legends were on the rise as well in 2021.

For Maurizio Barbieri, head of sports and gaming partnerships for SEA and Greater China at Twitter, Twitter and sports will always have a special and tight relationship, adding that as events faced postponements and cancellations last year, sport fans on Twitter kept the passion and fervour alive by cheering, encouraging, and celebrating the wins together wherever they were.

“As competitions resumed this year, the built-up anticipation resulted in a global frenzy that transcended borders, with Twitter connecting the like-minded community to give them front row seats to all the action and a valuable avenue to participate in the excitement,” Barbieri said.