The eSports industry shows no signs of cooling off. In fact, analysts believe eSports could be a major driver of trillion-dollar gaming growth over the next decade. Plus, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of interested gamers. In 2012, gamers spent about 1.3 billion hours watching eSports videos. By 2013, they spent 2.4 billion hours with eSports. By 2019, they spent 6.6 billion hours with eSports. Two, “the global eSports audience is expected to double from 335 million in 2017 to 646 million by 2023,” as reported by U.S. News & World Report. Three, Newzoo, projects eSports revenue could hit $1.8 billion by 2022. By 2025, that could be up to $3 billion, according to Research and Markets. Four, eSports interest is only likely to increase with the introduction of more franchise-style leagues, the centralization of eSports teams, and continued explosive growth in audience size, added analysts at Deloitte. Five, heavyweight gaming companies are jumping on the eSports bandwagon, like Electronic Arts, and Activision Blizzard. The excitement is creating big opportunity for related companies, such as Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX:EGLX)(OTCQB:ENGMF), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ:PENN), and Draftkings Inc. (NASDAQ:DKNG).
Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX:EGLX)(OTCQB:ENGMF) BREAKING NEWS: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc., the largest gaming platform in North America, reaching over 300 million monthly video game and esports fans worldwide, today announced that it has observed significant growth across a number of key metrics during Black Friday Week, representing the seven-day period from November 24 - 30, 2020, as compared to the corresponding period in 2019 (November 26 - December 2, 2019).
Black Friday is an important event in the digital media industry as there is typically a surge in the demand of digital ad inventory throughout the corresponding week. The Company is pleased to report the following observations for Black Friday Week 2020 vs 2019:
- 36% growth of total advertising revenue, including programmatic advertising revenue growth of 28%
- 12% increase in site views, resulting in nearly 800 million web and video content views in one week
- An additional 2,000 paid subscribers added to the Company’s web properties, representing an approximately 2% increase in monthly recurring subscribers gained in one week
“More and more brands are realizing the untapped value of our gaming and esports platform as an ideal advertising and engagement method to reach the Gen Z and millennial audiences,” said Adrian Montgomery, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming. “We are seeing strong growing numbers across our various segments which is a testament to the investments and strategic decisions we undertook during the past year including in ad tech, direct sales, content and distribution. We remain excited and confident about our growth trajectory.”
These results come on the heels of a successful virtual-only EGLX 2020, the fifth annual gaming festival which saw upwards of 12 million viewers across the globe and was supported by key sponsors G Fuel, SpiderTech and TikTok.
Other related developments from around the markets include:
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced its continued investment in Nevada with eight new buildings across the state to support customer fulfillment and delivery operations. The sites are expected to create more than 2,000 permanent full- and part-time jobs with a minimum $15 per hour wage and comprehensive benefits starting on day one. The news comes on the heels of Amazon’s announcement to hire more than 100,000 seasonal jobs in the U.S.and Canada to help deliver smiles to customers this holiday season, including more than 1,000 across Nevada. “This is welcome news for the entire state of Nevada,” said Governor Steve Sisolak. “Amazon continues to make investments to support local communities and has become a lifeline for those in our state who have experienced job loss during the pandemic. We are grateful for Amazon's decision to expand operations across Nevada, creating thousands of career opportunities for our citizens.”
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share. The dividend is payable March 11, 2021, to shareholders of record on Feb. 18, 2021. The ex-dividend date will be Feb. 17, 2021.
Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ:PENN) announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has appointed Marla Kaplowitz to the Board, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Ms. Kaplowitz’s appointment will expand the size of the Board to eight members, six of whom satisfy the standards for director independence under the current Listing Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. Ms. Kaplowitz is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s), a trade association serving more than 600 member agencies across 1,200 offices throughout the U.S., who are responsible for more than 85% of total domestic advertising spend. Since joining 4A’s in 2017, Ms. Kaplowitz has modernized the 100-year old association and significantly reduced member attrition through a comprehensive range of offerings that reinforce member value, including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Draftkings Inc. (NASDAQ:DKNG) and the Detroit Pistons announced a new deal, making the sports technology and entertainment company the exclusive Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner, as well as an Official Sports Betting and iGaming Partner of the NBA team. In addition to access to Pistons trademarks and logos, the deal includes DraftKings-branded courtside LED signage and in-game basket pad branding. The agreement comes as DraftKings prepares to launch mobile sports betting and online gaming in the state of Michigan, pending licensure and the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. “As our first professional team activation in the state of Michigan, we are thrilled to join forces with the Detroit Pistons ahead of our pending market introduction,” said Ezra Kucharz, Chief Business Officer, DraftKings. “This deal deepens our relationship with a prominent local team to facilitate more immersive fan experiences, both for Michiganders familiar with regulated gaming products as well as newcomers to the space.”
Legal Disclaimer / Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Winning Media is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Winning Media is only compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation. Pursuant to an agreement Winning Media has been paid three thousand five hundred dollars for advertising and marketing services for Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. by a third party. We own ZERO shares of Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. Please click here for full disclaimer.
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