In just a handful of decades, esports has leveled up from a niche, underground hobby to a heavyweight sporting contender commanding attention on a major scale. Global streaming audiences reached 625.8 million in 2024, stealing home from the MLB’s 171 million-strong fan base and even dunking on the NBA’s audience of 155.9 million. Meanwhile, the…
Fantasy sports platform Sorare is celebrating the 2023-2024 soccer season with new 3D collectible cards and augmented reality features in its mobile app. Auctions for the digital soccer cards will begin in the Sorare marketplace on Sept. 13. The first cards in this release will feature players in the Premier League, such as Erling Haaland,…
As augmented reality, metaverse activations and gaming formats of all kinds continue to grow as media channels, marketers are looking for high return-on-investment ways to advertise within the sector. But that’s proving relatively slow to materialize. While interest in the metaverse has cooled off somewhat since the peak of hype last year, brands are continuing…
EA Sports has signed a three-year deal with Sky Sports to sponsor the latter’s Premier League soccer coverage in the U.K. The deal will run until the end of the 2024/25 season. It comes as EA prepares to mark the end of an era and rename its flagship FIFA series after failing to extend its…
Esports and media powerhouse FaZe Clan began trading publicly on the Nasdaq today, following a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. The brand is listed under the ticker symbols FAZE and FAZEW. The plan to go public was first announced back in October. The deal was initially expected…
Eyewear brand Oakley has been a mainstay in sports like beach volleyball, football and baseball. Supreme athletes like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Chloe Kim and Francisco Lindor make up the brand’s roster. Now, the lens crafter is looking to establish itself in the esports market. Eyeing a growing esports industry, Oakley has signed a multi-year…
Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League (OWL) is back for fifth season, and in an effort to be a hoot among viewers, it’s using a common sports tool to engage with fans. The esports competition updated its Pick’em feature for the new season, which is the first to be played on Overwatch 2. Introduced in 2020, Pick’em…
Esports brand FaZe Clan is ramping up production of original content with a new reality competition series to provide more premium reach for brand marketing partners. And the esports giant is coming into this new phase with a new partner: lifestyle nutrition brand Ghost. The news comes after FaZe Clan ended its partnership with energy…
While winning gaming tournaments will always be the main objective for esports brands, original content creation has evolved into an important factor in cultivating an audience in the growing industry. There will be 29.6 million monthly esports viewers in the U.S. in 2022, according to Insider Intelligence. That figure is up 11.5% from last year….
Childhood sports and other interests can serve as formative aspects of professional careers and leadership qualities. This is exemplified by Johanna Faries, general manager of Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard who dabbled in martial arts, soccer, basketball and music during her time in primary school and then at Harvard University. During their conversation, Faries…
Activision Blizzard has once again teamed with skating legend Tony Hawk to release its special scratch-to-win skateboards which offer prizes hidden beneath the paintwork. The “Scratch Boards” campaign concept from David Madrid will encourage skaters to slide their boards to discover the codes hidden under the paint, allowing them to redeem different Tony Hawk’s Pro…
Texas-based Complexity Gaming just inked a one-year renewal and expansion of its partnership with Miller Lite as brands continue to grow their relationships with esports companies and teams. The companies plan to develop a limited-edition merchandise collection and create additional content, including a series centered on amplifying minority players. Complexity reported 22% growth in content…
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, many gaming and esports brands have taken a public stance, whether through condemnations or donations. Events have been postponed and partnerships with Russian and Belarusian companies broken off. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has used Twitter to call on all game developers and esports platforms to…
NBCUniversal is trying its hand at native in-game advertising for the first time, teaming up with video game advertising company Anzu for a global partnership. Top line The deal–which includes an investment in the ad tech startup–makes NBCUniversal Anzu’s global sales partner and the exclusive third-party seller in the U.S. and U.K. The company’s clients…
Where can sports brands find new global audiences and revenue growth beyond their core fans? To quote EA Sports’ long-running tagline: “It’s in the game.” The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated a trend already in motion as lockdowns, restrictions and in-person sports cancellations drove fans to online gaming in massive numbers. The number of gamers globally reached…
Greg Via broke into sports marketing by helping Michael Jordan sell Gatorade. He pulled Derek Jeter, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry together to pitch Gillette razors. But one big name explains his switch from traditional sports superstars to esports personalities: Duke Nukem. “I was a closet [gamer] when I was at Gatorade: I…
Even as cable providers slowly cut ties with regional sports networks, RSNs are still prized by advertisers because they offer something few forms of media still can in 2022: Regular exposure to live highly-engaged, local audiences. Home Team Sports, a division of Playfly Sports, aggregates inventory for every RSN in the country and its platform…
Returning for its second year, the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit was held from November 15-18. For four days attendees heard from marketers and executives from the major sports leagues as well as current and former sports professionals as they discussed the sports landscape of the past year and what the future holds. The themes explored…
Gaming saw significant gains over the past two years as homebound sports fans opted to connect and game virtually. EA Sports leveraged its strong community of gamers to take virtual experiences to the next level to build communities that connect passionate fans with memorable moments. Andrea Hopelain, EA Sports’ svp of brand, joined Adweek’s Brandweek…
When lockdowns and social distancing benched most professional sports leagues for long periods and kept fans out of the stands, eSports were the only game in town. But even as in-person gatherings have resumed to something approaching normal, the popularity of eSports is continuing to rise. In fact, rather than being influenced by legacy teams…
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