That's how Johanna Faries, a vice president at gaming company Activision Blizzard and commissioner of Call of Duty League, described the environment at the Call of Duty playoffs and other major esports events on Cheddar's Business of Sports special on Thursday. While the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on this sort of in-person experience, Faries noted that the industry's growth in 2020 has been a bright spot.
"It's been amazing how much new attention and fandom there has been in light of a very challenging year," she said.
The increased attention has also paid dividends on Wall Street. Activision Blizzard's stock was trading at close to 2020 highs, closing at $83.11 per share at market close on December 10, and showed gradual growth since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. For reference, Activision Blizzard's highest close in 2020 was $86.84 on August 6, at a time when pro sports leagues such as Major League Baseball and the NBA were just beginning to return to action.
Faries also commended the esports community's ability to adapt to a stronger presence on online platforms such as YouTube as a way to connect with fans and other gamers. When discussing the shift in strategy, she said, "Esports has always been a kind of ecosystem, an environment where our players know how to be resilient. They know how to pivot very quickly. They're digitally native."
Looking ahead to 2021, Faries sees the combination of esports' growing energy when it comes to attention and fandom, as well as seeing more engagement on platforms such as YouTube, boding well for the future of the industry.
"To be able to be powerful in both spaces and to continue up and to the right engagement with not only existing fans but new fans is exactly where we want to be," she said. "We feel well-positioned."
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
