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12/09/21: The Game Awards load up; Measuring Rocket League’s trajectory; Teams prepare NFT barrage


Medias First Morning Read Thursday December 9, 2021 Good morning! It’s Thursday and this is your weekly Esports Brief. The Game Awards are on deck to take place tonight, with the annual kudoscast and sneak peek into upcoming gaming titles set to take place at the Microsoft Theater, once again streaming live and free across more than 40 platforms globally starting at 8p. This year’s ceremony will feature special musical performances by Sting and Imagine Dragons, along with appearances by Ashley Johnson, Ben Schwartz, Giancarlo Esposito, Guillermo del Toro, Jim Carey, Laura Bailey, Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss, Ming-Na Wen, Paul George, Simu Liu and more.

New this year is the Axial Tilt, the awards’ first official metaverse experience on Core, where fans will be able to watch and interact with the awards show and simultaneously play to win exclusive prizes that are only available during the broadcast. In addition, fans can access The Game Awards Microverse, a new streaming experience for fans, designed and produced by creative digital experiences agency Active Theory’s Dreamwave Platform, and serving as an immersive 3D microverse watch party. COMPETITION This weekend sees the 2021 season of the Rainbow Six North American League come to a head as the NAL Championship runs Dec. 11-12 starting at 6p out of the Esports Arena in Las Vegas. Talent will cast live in studio from Los Angeles with day one opening with Spacestation Gaming/DarkZero Esports. Drops will be activated and during the Regional Finals, across all regions, viewers will earn 1 pack every 4 hours watched, with a maximum cap of 3 packs per week,

DreamHack and ESL Gaming will become esports partners of the Rocket League Championship Series courtesy of a multi-year agreement with Rocket League developer, Psyonix. The new deal will see DreamHack and ESL Gaming collaborate to operate the competitions, produce the official broadcasts and support the return to live events, with the first Major of RLCS Season 2020-2021 to be hosted in Stockholm, Sweden, as a players-only event. “Rocket League is one of the fastest growing properties in esports and we’re proud to partner with Psyonix to support its continued growth,” said Michael Van Driel, SVP, Game Management at ESL Gaming. “We’ve been big believers in Rocket League Esports since day one, and we are really excited to take the next steps in our collaboration with Psyonix to help create the highest possible quality of competition for fans and teams around the world.”

The VALORANT Champions Tour reports that its Champions Collection skin offerings have now raised more than $7.5 million for the teams who are participating in the event, which will see a champion crowned the weekend. With the millions announced marking 50% of the revenues collected from skin sales over for the 16 teams participating. The Champions Collection will leave the in-game store on Dec. 13.

Beyond the Summit and Epic Esports Events are expanding their alliance, and both tournament operators will now exchange broadcast rights for a slate of 2022 tournaments. The move will see BTS cover Epic Esports Events’ tournaments in English, including the sixth season of the Dota 2 Champions League. Season 6 of the Dota 2 Champions League will feature 13 teams from across Europe and the CIS region.

ONE Esports was named by KRAFTON as Official Media Partner in Southeast Asia for PUBG Global Championship 2021. The final PUBG esports event of the year, PGC 2021 is be a global LAN/online hybrid tournament where 32 of the world’s top professional PUBG esports teams will compete for a share of the $2 million prize pool. The tournament will run from 19 November 2021 to 19 December 2021 as teams from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and APAC, compete in weekly showdowns to earn prize money. As the Official Media Partner for PGC 2021 in Southeast Asia ONE Esports will work closely with KRAFTON to produce bespoke content and comprehensive coverage of the tournament for fans. “We are proud to conclude a strong year with the appointment of Official Media Partner for PGC 2021. Fans in Southeast Asia will now have the best access to the latest updates on PGC 2021 through ONE Esports properties,” said Carlos Alimurung, CEO, ONE Esports. “This partnership with KRAFTON is a testament to the dedication and hard work ONE Esports and our partners to share and celebrate the stories of esports heroes who ignite the world with strength, hope, dreams, and inspiration.”

Last chance. Get in and stake your claim! Next week we are proud to present “Masters of the Metaverse”? A new virtual event, in partnership with Super League Gaming, taking place on Dec. 14 that will give you the blueprints to successful activation in this hot arena. Featuring candid discussions and case studies from companies such as NASCAR, Viacom, Manticore Games, Aftershock, Supersocial, Thunder, GreenPark, Activate, The Fabricant and Virtual Brand Group. Don’t miss out and get your tickets now!

World of Warcraft will see six teams advance to The Great Push Season 2 when it goes live beginning this Friday. Throughout the weekend, teams will have to complete six dungeons pushing to achieve the highest possible Keystones to claim total victory. Broadcast starts at 1p ET with streams across official Warcraft channels on both YouTube and Twitch.

LVL, an international venue and content brand for esports and gaming, announced Das Race Goal, described as “the world’s first entertainment and social investment platform that combines the physical aspects of traditional soccer and RC racing with the virtual world of gaming.” The first event supports the United Nations Population Fund in the goal of raising awareness and financial support for the Skills For Life programs across Latin America and the Caribbean. Das Race Goal will premiere on Twitch via lvlglobal on Dec. 12, hosted by Mónica Ferro, Chief of the Geneva Office at UNFPA. Six teams of three players, each featuring an influencer, an esports personality and a young gamer from Latin America and the Caribbean involved in UNFPA initiatives will compete in a real-life stadium at BMW Welt, as custom-built cars are remotely controlled via the Internet from all over the world. Players will be able to score goals, collect power-ups, and activate special effects in this futuristic gameplay. STREAMHATCHET Rocket League has experienced significant growth from 2020 – 2021 and has accumulated a strong growing audience around gaming creators and esports properties. Major automotive brands are taking advantage of this as Psyonix has announced partnerships with BMW, NASCAR, F1, Ford and several others. This week, Stream Hatchet offers a few KPIs on the property’s massive 297% uptick in live streaming hours watched from 2019 – 2021.
· Rocket League Sideswipe, a mobile version of Rocket League, was released on November 15th, which has also shown strong growth.
· In Q1-Q3 of 2021, Rocket League has generated over 34M in esports hours watched, 20% of the total Rocket League hours watched. SPONSORSHIP & ACTIVATION Psyonix and Ford announced a deal that keeps Ford as the Presenting Sponsor of the upcoming Rocket League Championship Series Fall Major and of the second Ford + Rocket League Freestyle Invitational. In addition, the electric Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV and the classic 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R will be available in Rocket League beginning December 9 on all platforms.

Immortals and Fetch.ai, a Cambridge-based artificial intelligence lab, announced the launch of a yearlong gaming influencer campaign, titled Team Fetch.ai with an eye to enable the platform “to expand its reach to a growing demographic of gaming and esports viewers interested in learning about crypto.” The inaugural lineup of influencers joining Team Fetch.ai includes: Wild Rift pro GosuHoon; streamer and Valorant content creator Pterodactylsftw; as well as Queens Gaming Collective streamers and content creators AvaGG and Demisux. All team members will host streams in which viewers can participate in enter-to-win activations, with giveaways such as jerseys, merchandise, and one of a kind custom-designed NFTs.

Meanwhile, FaZe Clan cemented a multi-year partnership with MoonPay, a leading global crypto payments infrastructure provider that establishes MoonPay as the official crypto and NFT partner of FaZe Clan. The partnership includes a series of content and media that will launch in early 2022. In addition, MoonPay will integrate into existing content across the FaZe Clan platform and the two brands will create new original content tailored for the FaZe Clan community. Plans include new original content franchises, creator and talent driven events, and campaigns that tap into fandom across FaZe Clan’s esports teams.

CSL Esports announced the addition of LeagueSpot to its lineup of leading esports collegiate partners. “The LeagueSpot team is humbled that NACE Starleague trusts LeagueSpot to power its program moving forward,” said Andrew Barnett, CEO, LeagueSpot. “We’re excited to support a best-in-class experience for every participating school.”

PLATFORMS

Esports community aggregator Harena Data is launching Go PiXLS, a new esports entertainment and gaming network, in partnership with multi-channel streaming company Future Today. The network will air original and licensed gaming, esports, and entertainment content. Go PiXL will be offered as linear content and an advertising video on demand platform (AVOD) model through Future Today’s platform with Harena Data set to license and distribute esports content to thousands of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs across the United States. Go PiXLS will also be available free to consumers on various over-the-top (OTT) platforms with advertising and commercials in between programming. The content on Go PiXLS will be produced by Super League Gaming.

Discord announced some potential changes on the horizon, with a slate of content creators invited to test out a new, premium beta that will allow server owners to have the ability to create multiple tiers at different price points with incentives that could include extra sever channels, chats, and voice calls. Speakers announced for next week’s Metaverse webinar

Facebook’s evolution to Meta Platforms Inc delivers a clear signal to the future of media, marketing, tech, and audiences – the metaverse. Listen in as metaverse experts from companies including Aftershock Media Group, Thunder, Virtual Brand Group and Super League Gaming discuss opportunities for success on Tuesday, December 14th from 1-3:30 PM ET.

FIND OUT MORE TEAMS & INDUSTRY 100 Thieves raised $60 million from its Series C financing round, lifting the total valuation of the company to $460 million. The financing round was led by Green Bay Ventures with support from existing and new investors such as Breyer Capital, Aglae Ventures, Tao Capital, and Willoughby Capital, among others.

Boxing legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is punching his way into the esports and gaming scene, announcing the launch of his own company titled Team Pacquaio GG. The org will focus on community, competition, and charity as its pillars, and it partnering at launch with global esports and racing organization Veloce Esports. “Esports is not just an online phenomenon, but also a legitimate growing sports industry, with a lot of job and business opportunities,” he reportedly said at the announcement.

Complexity Gaming inked a deal with Call of Duty: Warzone creators and competitors, the Baka Bros, to bolster the organization’s media footprint and compete in Warzone esports competitions. The trio includes DiazBiffle, LuckyChamu, and Repullze, and feature more than 1.5 million fans. “Warzone’s vibrant community continues to grow alongside its rebuffed focus on new in-game content, and builds upon our excitement to be partnering with some of the title’s most popular personalities,” said Sören Vendsahm, General Manager and VP of Talent, Complexity Gaming. “The Baka Bros bring depth and charisma to our ever-expanding roster, and will contribute to Complexity’s ongoing commitment to create innovative and engaging content, lift trophies, and foster a positive culture for players and fans.” READYUP EVENTS OF THE WEEK CYNOPSIS RESOURCE CENTER

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MARATHON VENTURES /REMOTE/HYBRID/NY/NJ/CT:
Team-oriented, fast-paced, innovative environment to provide clients with the highest level of service. Ability to shadow and train with new sales assistant hires. Monitor and assist account executives with accounts and performance of campaigns. Resolve billing discrepancies, and manage all billing processes both pre- and post-campaign. Full info HERE (12/23)

SALES PLANNER
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MARATHON VENTURES /REMOTE/HYBRID/NY/NJ/CT: Committed to a remote/hybrid work model, Marathon Ventures Media Sales is looking for Sales Planners to work in a team-oriented, fast-paced, innovative environment to provide clients with the highest level of service. Sales Planners ensure the execution of all advertising schedules, partnering with sales teams and ad agencies. Full info HERE (12/23)

SENIOR RESEARCH ANALYST SALES
CW
NYC, NY

Work primarily in the digital space but also Linear/VOD and Cross-platform. Develop/analyze metrics using syndicated & proprietary tools to show growth, trends and sales opportunities. 3+ yrs national experience. Strong excel, Nielsen, ComScore, Rentrak, MRI. Full info HERE (12/22)

DIGITAL MEDIA ANALYTICS MANAGER
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REFUEL AGENCY/NYC: Responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting performance for multiple campaigns and clients. Improved campaign performance, quick response to client/sales requests and a willingness to adapt to the job role, driving results for our clients’ business. 3-5 years of professional experience in digital/marketing analytics required. Full info HERE (12/21)

SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, BRAND PARTNERSHIPS SALES
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attn:/NYC, CHICAGO: Deliver best-in-class work, manage the deal from initial outreach and creative prospecting, to negotiation, and to close on large scale, multi-platform branded partnerships. Ability to “think on your feet” by developing strategic integrated campaign across all native platforms. 10+ yrs leading digital or social content partnerships w/clients req. Full info HERE (12/20)

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, AD SALES
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FUSE MEDIA/NYC, NY: Generate profitable sales revenue while exceeding sales quotas and delivering a high level of customer service to media clients. Maintain and build a book of national clients. Proactively recognize and develop clients in target categories. Identify, qualify, call on and establish long-term business relationships. 5-7 years of B2B sales experience req. Full info HERE (12/18)

DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY PROGRAMMING
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PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA/NYC, NY:
Develop & implement a successful Industry programming strategy & schedule to meet institutional timelines, procure talent, conduct research, & secure the highest-level speakers/panelists & moderators who will enhance the content relevance as well as the prestige select media events. 8+ yrs of Media Industry Event Programming & management required. Full info HERE (12/18)

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT – SPONSORSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND GROUP SALES >>
NEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP/NYC, NY: Competitive, a self-starter, and exemplary leadership, strategic vision with focused execution of multiple projects at the same time. Hands-on leader who enjoys developing unique marketing solutions to meet the needs of clients, while developing successful strategies that result in accretive revenue. Min of 10 yrs of exp required. Full info HERE (12/18)

SALES PLANNER – DIRECT RESPONSE

CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS
NY, NY

Will provide sales and analytical support to the Direct Response sales team for all Hallmark Channels including managing booking of deals, tracking inventory and maintaining master reports. Bachelor’s Degree in related field, 1-2 yr industry related experience. Knowledge of Wide Orbit is a plus. Full info HERE (12/17)

EXECUTIVE IN CHARGE >>
LITTON ENTERTAINMENT/BURBANK CA:
Litton Entertainment is seeking an experienced Executive-In-Charge of Production who will play a key role in the oversight and hands on management of the production processes, personnel for multiple, concurrent projects and the day-to-day operations of the company’s production facilities. Minimum 10 years’ experience in the entertainment industry. Full info HERE (12/17)

DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCER >>
LITTON ENTERTAINMENT/BURBANK CA:
Litton Entertainment is seeking a full-time Digital Media Producer to join our digital team. This role includes copywriting and social publishing, asset coordination, social creative concept ideation and content-related project management. Knowledge of producing, publishing, and marketing social media required. Full info HERE (12/17)

CLOSED CAPTIONING EDITOR >>
LITTON ENTERTAINMENT/BURBANK CA:
Litton Entertainment is seeking an experienced Closed Captioning Editor to join post-production. This role will be responsible for managing and prepping the delivery of all final episodes to the appropriate network. Basic knowledge of Adobe Premiere is a must, knowledge of Mac Caption is strongly preferred. Full info HERE (12/17)

VP, MULTI-PLATFORM MEDIA PLANNING

CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS
NYC or LA

Will develop promotional strategy across all linear & digital platforms and lead a team while working cross-functionally to align and optimize the execution of strategies to drive ratings and business growth. Bachelor’s Degree, min 10 yr. exp as promo scheduling strategist in Broadcast or Cable Network. Expert with GRIP it! Full info HERE (12/17)

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

EARTHXTV
DALLAS, TX
Manage all aspects of consumer marketing and development; increase the visibility of its programs. Develop and refine messaging to connect our work with key audiences. Campaign leader for programs, events and initiatives. Manage, mentor and coach junior members. 10+ yrs exp in marketing/advertising position. Full info HERE (12/16)

SENIOR SALES PLANNER
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REELZ/NY:
Create/revise upfront/scatter media plans, account stewardship & serve as agency liaison. Should be comfortable presenting and cultivating agency relationships. A min 5 yrs ad sales/agency exp. Strong written and verbal communication skills, strong media math skills. Proficient in Wide Orbit, MS Suite. Full info HERE (12/15)

JUNIOR SALES PLANNER
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REELZ/NYC, NY:
Create upfront/scatter media plans, account stewardship & serve as agency liaison. Maintain agency accounts including upfront and scatter order entry, campaign changes, and product allocations. Assist Account Executives and work closely with the Director of Inventory Control. A min 2 yrs ad sales/agency exp. Proficient in Wide Orbit, MS Suite. Full info HERE (12/15)

SALES SERVICE EXECUTIVE
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REELZ/NYC, NY:
Selling advertising time, while also providing all necessary sales support functions for Pricing & Planning. Should be comfortable presenting sales & marketing materials and cultivating agency relationships. Experienced candidate will carry a list. 5 years of progressive ad sales planning/support experience. Proficient in Wide Orbit a plus. Full info HERE (12/15)

CURATOR
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THE PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA/NYC, NY:
Conduct research and generate weekly reports on media trends and remain highly informed of trends and developments. Research, evaluate, identify and develop the most relevant topics/issues and propose the most appropriate. Plan and curate Paley Public Programs and other special events. 8+ years progressively responsible leadership required. Full info HERE (12/15)

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING
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PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA/ NYC, NY: Develop, ideate, project-manage, book, and confirm an exciting, influential, and relevant calendar of programs. Book major shows and A-list talent; produce aspects exhibits that need to be coordinated with a network or studio. 8+ yrs of producing live productions and 3+ yrs of project and budget management experience, in a supervisory capacity req. Full info HERE (12/14)

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT
SOUNDEXCHANGE INC
MIAMI

Responsible for establishing, maintaining and building key artist, management, performer, and content owner relationships. In addition, they will develop outreach programs intended to raise the profile and engagement with SoundExchange.” Bilingual: English/Spanish and significant contact base required. A min of 10 yrs experience req. Full info HERE (12/14)

MANAGER, INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT
SOUNDEXCHANGE INC
NASHVILLE

Responsible for establishing, maintaining and building key artist, management, performer, and content owner relationships. In addition, they will develop outreach programs intended to raise the profile and engagement with SoundExchange. A minimum of 7 years’ experience in a senior role at a recognized and established entertainment entity required. Full info HERE (12/14)

MANAGER, INTEGRATED MEDIA
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FOX SPORTS/LOS ANGELES:
Manage multiple aspects of paid campaigns with an agency from strategy to planning & execution. Assist in monitoring & reporting on paid Digital, Programmatic, Search, & Social performance. Partner w/ brand & creative teams to ensure all creative needs for media planning are met. 5+ yrs of work exp. in integrated or digital media planning/buying. Full info HERE (12/13)

SALES PLANNER
GSTV
NYC, NY

Build strategic media plans in response to RFPs and proactive proposal requests. Work hand-in-hand with AE’s on renewals, upsells, make-goods, cancellations, and assisting in development of QBRs. Maintain pricing integrity & utilize historical data to provide strategic recommendations. Min of 3+ years experience working in a similar role required. Full info HERE (12/9)

ASSISTANT TEACHING PROFESSOR, TELEVISION AND MEDIA MANAGEMENT >>
DREXEL UNIVERSITY/PHILADELPHIA: Drexel University seeks applicants for an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Graduate Program in Television & Media Management. Expectations include inspiring teaching, current industry expertise, and acute attention to diversity, equity and inclusion as they relate to the future of the media landscape. Full info HERE (12/9) OTHER JOBS OF INTEREST

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