Through eSports, Big Media Companies Reach an 'Unreachable' Demographic
Competitive gaming and esports are taking the country by storm, and corporate America is paying attention. One of the two teams that will compete this weekend in the Overwatch Grand Finals at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is largely owned by the media giant Comcast.
And the reason is pretty simple, says Joe Marsh, CFO of the Philadelphia Fusion. “It’s about reaching the demographic that’s unreachable,” he said in an interview with Cheddar on Thursday. “A lot of the demo has ad blockers up and you’re not able to reach them.
“To be able to actively invest in something they’re actually seeking out and watching on Twitch and other streaming services and now to be transitioning that to linear TV with the ESPN deal, they just realize it’s a good area to target a new demographic of consumers that they’re going to guide through the next 50 years.”
The Philadelphia Fusion is something of a Cinderella team in the Overwatch League postseason. They entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed but upset No. 3 seed Boston in the quarterfinals and then the No. 1 seed New York Excelsior in the semis.
Tucker Roberts, president of the Fusion, said it was “unbelievable that our team got this far, given that a lot of analysts pegged us to finish eighth and not even make the playoffs.”
The Overwatch League is only in its first year; yet the enormous popularity of the game is bringing 20,000 spectators to the Barclays Center on Friday and Saturday. With that exploding popularity, Roberts sees a strong future for eSports.
“It’s a global sport,” he said. “It’s not like it’s a regional thing. It’s 40 million players from every single country you can think of.”
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjEyMTg=).
Brian Stewart, the U.S. brand ambassador for Belvedere Vodka, joined Cheddar News to show off the cocktail called the Belvedere Raspberry Circuit to pair with the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, a race getting underway for the very first time on May 8. “I wanted this drink to be very approachable, but I also wanted to drink to be as luxurious and exciting as the race itself," he said.
It’s NFL draft night! A former defensive end for the Dolphins, Bears, and Texans Wale Ogunleye joined Cheddar News to talk about which rookies-to-be the NFL teams will be picking and also discuss the impact of the pandemic on the incoming players. "I do think having the ability to stay at school maybe a year or two longer, and it may be getting your adulthood going, it might help out a lot, but again, it's a different animal in that locker room," he said. Ogunleye, who also heads sports and entertainment at the financial firm UBS, also talked about providing financial literacy education and advice for young athletes.
Chelsa Messinger, host of 'The Daily Tip', joins Cheddar Bets to compete with Alex Glaze and draft the best card possible from tonight's slate.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Ryan Glasspiegel, sports and entertainment reporter for the New York Post, explains why we're seeing teams and leagues gravitate towards Las Vegas, and sheds light on the recent report that Amazon is pushing for a Black Friday NFL game.
Emmanuel Macron staves off the far right challenger Marine Le Pen in France, conservative lawmakers find themselves embroiled in varying controversies, and pickleball is hotter than ever in the U.S.
Between Bells EP Conor White recaps some of the biggest stories of the week, and teaches Baker Machado and Azia Celestino a thing or two at the same time. It's This Week in Trivia!
The Golden State Warriors a new affiliate company called Golden State Entertainment to create sports-related original content, documentaries, and musical collaborations. David Kelly, chief business officer, joined Cheddar News to discuss “We think it's a great time to step off into this area. I think the better question maybe is why this hasn’t been formed previously?” he said. "There's a lot of synergies between sports, music, and film, and so we think that the timing is right to bring those worlds together into this venture." He noted that projects aren't limited to Warriors-only content, pointing to the documentary "38 at the Garden," about former New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin.
Sean Zerillo, Senior Writer for Action Network and co-host of the MLB podcast "Payoff Pitch" joins Cheddar Bets to discuss why under have been a lucrative bet for him so far, and how he's adjusting his strategies moving forward.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Michael Jenkins, host of 'The Daily Tip', joins Cheddar Bets to break down each game in the NBA Playoffs tonight and why not to take the bait on the Grizzlies-Timberwolves point total.
Sponsored by BetMGM
