SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Hendrick Motorsports renewed their marketing and technical partnership with Microsoft through 2019. Under the renewed partnership, the team will use the power of the Microsoft Cloud, Windows 10, Office 365 and Microsoft Team with all four racing teams now leveraging Microsoft’s artificial intelligence and machine learning to strengthen their performance on the race track.
Global sports, entertainment and experiential agency Legends is launching a joint venture with Productive Edge, a digital technology company, titled EDGE Experiential. The initiative will look to develop customized experiences powered by cutting-edge technology solutions for clients and brands that targets consumers and fans seeking an enhanced live event and attraction experience.
Nitro Circus and MTK Greenover Sports are teaming up in a move that will initially see seven new Nitro Circus-branded ramp and rail SKU’s available online and at retail throughout Europe and in the U.K. The full range will be available by November, when Nitro Circus’ all-new “You Got This” tour makes its European debut.
DeMarcus Cousins will serve as the new face of Samsara Luggage, courtesy of a partnership that makes him the company's first-ever ambassador and take an investment stake in the growing business. Cousins will now leverage his global platform to expand the Samsara brand, celebrating the company's journey from concept to global sales and overall vision of combining IOT solutions within the travel industry, featuring Design, Technology and Material to make travel “a smarter experience.”
DIGITAL & STREAMING
Marking the two-year countdown to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Channel and the Japan Consortium debuted Olympic Channel-branded digital platforms across multiple outlets. Olympic Channel digital portals will be available on olympicchannel.com as well as on the digital platforms for NHK, NTV, TV Asahi, TBS, TV Tokyo, Fuji TV and the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association’s (JBA) Olympics website gorin.jp. The newly launched digital platforms will offer fans Olympic-themed programming from around the world in Japanese, with an emphasis on their favorite Japanese athletes, teams and sports under the “Olympic Channel” brand.
8 to Glory, the official game of PBR, will be released by publisher Three Gates on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One next week. Since 8 to Glory was launched as a mobile app for iOS and Android in August 2016, more than 1 million people have downloaded and played the game.
ESPORTS
Esports staple Immortals recruited Meg Whitman, former CEO of Hewlett Packard and ebay, where she will now serve as an investor in the company. The deal marks her first in esports, and she has now been named to Immortals’ Board of Directors, joining AEG, Lionsgate, the Milken Family, and Steve Kaplan as major shareholders and members of the Company’s Board. “We are thrilled to have Meg Whitman join our team,” said Noah Whinston, Immortals’ Founder and CEO. “She brings directly relevant, tremendously valuable experience, a global network, and deep, authentic roots in the technology sector. Our entire Board and management team will benefit from her complementary skills, expertise, and relationships, both immediately and over the long term.”
Meanwhile, TSM ‘s parent company Swift locked in a major financing round, valued at $37 million in Series A funding, according to Forbes. Ethan Kurzweil of Bessemer Venture Partners leads a group of investors that also include three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young and Yahoo cofounder and billionaire Jerry Yang with the investment also covering Swift’s other business segments, including its influencer content network and its analytic web services like FortniteMaster and ProBuilds.
PUBG Corporation laid out its vision for esports at the PUBG Global Invitational 2018, unveiling a five-year plan for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Changhan Kim, CEO, PUBG Corp., explained that 2018 would see the company “lay down strong groundwork for the PUBG esports system, building a solid structure through ongoing investment and a philosophical commitment to advance its esports experience.” In the coming years, PUBG Corp. will look to stabilize and solidify the PUBG esports presence in the global esports community including the build of a grassroots initiative that will include amateur events and regional leagues and the launch of a self-financed and sustainable esports model to improve the environment for PUBG pro teams with plans to support teams financially through prize purses, merchandise, and PUBG in-game digital content with revenue share opportunities. The PUBG esports viewing experience will also get a boost through the adoption of real-time API to drive stronger storytelling on the matches, while investing heavily in improving the game’s esports UI and observing system for viewers.
Ultimate Media Ventures is partnering with N3rd Street Gamers in a deal to blend UMV's lifestyle brand and Southern California production capabilities with NSG's network of esports competitive development opportunities to “establish the southwest region's amateur esports framework.” ULT will help N3rd Street Gamers redesign their current line of merchandise and help push N3rd Street apparel through their own extensive distribution lines. ULT will also allow N3rd Street Gamers to upgrade our event experience at their esports temple studio in Huntington Beach where production staff and tournament organizers will also be producing N3rd Street Gamers' southwest regional events. N3rd Street Gamers in turn will be providing regional distribution for ULT's merchandise at N3rd Street Gamer events and at Localhost Arena and provide tournament organizer support, computers and equipment to produce ongoing amateur esports events in the southwest region.
Season six of the Rocket League Championship Series is upping the stakes, with the upcoming slate set to offer Psyonix’ largest prize pool to date - $1,000,000 for RLCS and $100,000 for the Rival Series. League Play revs up on September 8. The company will bring back the Rival Series open qualifiers. Teams that are interested in testing their skills can battle it out in up to two (of the four) qualifiers in either North America or Europe to earn a chance at making it into the upcoming season of the Rival Series. After the qualifiers, the surviving 'Top 128' teams will then participate in the Play-In to fill up the remaining four spots per region in the Rival Series.
THE MAIN EVENT
Dodgers/Braves on MLB Network at 7:30p.
