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=).
Join Cheddar News as we break down the top headlines this morning including updates on the Jan. 6 hears, the PGA suspension of 17 of the world's best golfers, and NASA's plans to study UFOs.
The PGA Tour has announced that it will suspend players that are competing in the LIV Golf event that teed off today. At least 17 players, including names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Sergio Garcia are banned from the PGA Tour competition. Hilary Fordwich, a business analyst and golf expert, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the PGA had to go this route. This is a threat to the future of golf for them, and there's been many contentions about them not being fair and that this is vindictive," she said. "Don't forget, of course, they represent sort of a monopoly in the history of golf. So you've got two sides to this story. You've got those the purists, those that feel that golf should only be a certain way and that there are only these limited events that the PGA puts on. And then you've got other people who are saying … this is all about money"
Sports merchandising company Fanatics announced it will be making trading cards featuring college athletes, a deal made possible by the NCAA's change to NIL rules for its players. Anchors Kristen Scholer and Ken Buffa break down the deal for Cheddar.
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
The victims from the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continue to seek justice. Survivors of Larry Nassar are seeking more than one-billion dollars from the FBI for failing to stop the convicted sports doctor when the agency first received allegations. According to a report released by the Justice Department's Inspector General, FBI agents knew
in July of 2015 that Nassar was accused of abusing gymnasts; however, Nassar wasn't arrested until December of 2016. The group that filed the claim includes Olympic medalist Simone Biles and around 90 other women. Louise Radnofsky, sports reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A controversial professional golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia tees off on Thursday. Today, two-time Major winner Dustin Johnson announced he's resigned from the PGA Tour ahead of headlining the Saudi-backed tour, called the LIV Golf Invitation Series. The announcement comes as the PGA tour has threatened disciplinary action for its golfers who take part in the Saudi golf league event, which will also feature notable golf stars like Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia; however, LIV Golf's CEO, Greg Norman, told The Washington Post that Tiger Woods rejected a contract worth 'high nine digits' to play in the tour. Chris Bumbaca, reporter for USA Today Sports, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Marques Ogden, former NFL offensive lineman turned author and celebrity success coach, joins Cheddar to discuss his career transition after his NFL playing days and how he overcame a low point to prioritize family and re-shape his life as a success coach.
Abe Stein, Head of Innovation at Sports Innovation Lab, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why the top four spots on his company's 2022 list are European soccer clubs and discusses Sports Innovation Lab's plan to publish data on women's pro sports teams in the not-too-distant future.
San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Alex Barrett discusses why he believes taking his salary in crypto is the best financial decision for him, while Bitwage CEO Jonathan Chester breaks down how Barrett and other crypto investors can best utilize his platform.
