German media group ProSiebenSat.1 is expanding its eSports activities: 7Sports, the company’s sports business unit, is forming a joint venture with international eSports portal eSports.com.
The two partners intend to jointly expand into the leading eSports platform in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. www.eSports.com covers all aspects of the topic as a news portal, with content ranging from highlight videos from major eSports events, editorial reports and results through to online tournaments.
With its expertise in the production and marketing of sports content, 7Sports aims to make a significant contribution to the platform’s growth. The two partners each hold a 50% interest in the newly established eSports GSA GmbH, which will be jointly managed by Stefan Zant, managing director and COO of 7Sports, and Fabian Furch, CEO of eSports.com AG.
7Sports has been active in the area of eSports since 2016, including live broadcasts of international tournaments and a weekly highlights magazine on ProSieben MAXX. With the joint venture, 7Sports is now taking the next step in establishing a dedicated eSports ecosystem.
This includes broadcasting eSports topics and events on TV as well as digital offers. Plans also include the organisation of its own eSports tournaments, the establishment of eSports leagues and the management of professional sportspeople and teams. A dedicated department has already been created at 7Sports for this purpose.
“eSports are already a mass phenomenon in Asia, and the German market will see strong growth over the coming years. This is why we are stepping up our involvement and working with a strong partner in eSports.com,” said Conrad Albert, deputy CEO of ProSiebenSat.1. “eSports are an excellent fit for our portfolio, as they allow us to continue to expand our entertainment offering, create additional marketing space and extend our digital reach to new target groups.”
Zeljko Karajica, CEO of 7Sports, added: “To date, eSports content in Germany has been largely focused on a relatively small group of heavy users. With our eSports offering on TV and in digital on eSports.com, we are addressing the mass audience of gamers and fans in order to help establish eSports as a popular sport in Germany. Our objective is clear: We want to be the market leader.”