The AIM-listed minnow helping major sports franchises engage young gamers
, the AIM-listed esports business, is winning partnerships with some of the world’s biggest sports franchises looking to engage esports audiences.
John Clarke, Global Brand & Marcomms Officer at Gfinity told the Vox Markets Podcast: “Sports rights holders want to attract young people, and connecting them through gaming competition and content is the way they have to go to do it”
Of the 2.2 billion gamers worldwide, about 900 million are ‘engaged gamers’ that play and consume content at a level that surpasses anything seen before in traditional sports, Gfinity said in its annual report.
Gfinity, currently valued at roughly £18 million, boasts partnerships with esports brands like Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty, and Microsoft’s Forza Racing Championship, but it is the partnerships with traditional sports brands like the Premier League and Formula 1 that are attracting attention.
Mr. Clarke said: “The esports series Gfinity designed for F1 is so groundbreaking, because F1 realised gaming is to be an important touchpoint for young consumers and the F1 brand.”
“The average age of the person who attends a Formula 1 race or watches it on TV is over 50, but the average age of the F1 esports fan is way younger, more than 70% are under the age of 34.”
“That’s really what you call ‘future proofing’ your franchise, and the Premier League is doing exactly the same thing with the EPL”
Gfinity was re-appointed as tournament operator for the second season of the ePremier League programme in October, and has provided services to various sports clubs that include Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
Just last week Gfinity was engaged to host the NBA 2K League European Invitational, the first-ever NBA 2K League qualifying event in Europe, taking place over the two day period of 13-14 December 2019 at the Gfinity arena in London.
Commenting on why Gfinity was selected as partner, NBA 2K League Managing Director, Brendan Donohue told Vox Markets: “As home to some of the U.K’s leading esports events, Gfinity Arena is the ideal venue for the NBA 2K League’s first qualifying event in Europe.”
“We are thrilled to have Gfinity Arena host the top European NBA 2K players and to take the excitement of the NBA 2K League studio experience to our passionate fans in London.”
During the 2019 season, NBA 2K League had corporate partners that included AT&T, Facebook, Tencent, Twitch, YouTube and many others.
“The selection of Gfinity is an endorsement of the company’s experience and expertise in hosting major esports events.” Equity Analyst David Johnson said in a research note, highlighting NBA 2K League’s high profile in US professional esports.
However the importance of reaching esports in an authentic way was stressed by Adam Fitch, Editor of Esports Insider, who said if traditional sports franchises want to reach gamers, “they need to try to be part of the ecosystem, not take over it”.
He said that esports fans can sense if they are being used for just marketing for a traditional sport rather than for the benefit of the esport itself.
But Gfinity believes it is at the ‘epicentre’ of the ‘fragmented esports ecosystem’ and has invested heavily into the young gamer, employing young writers & videographers in order to strengthen its place in the community.
So far Gfinity says it has grown its organic reach from 7 million gamers per month in April, to 35 million gamers in November.
Executive Chairman Gary Cook said in a statement: “Gfinity is uniquely positioned in the gaming community and has proven itself to be a trusted provider”
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