TIDMGFIN
RNS Number : 6517E
Gfinity PLC
13 February 2018
Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside
information according to REGULATION (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR)
Gfinity plc
("Gfinity" or the "Company")
UNILAD Esports to compete in third season of the Gfinity Elite
Series
Global media giant to create new esports teams ahead of March
debut
Gfinity plc (AIM: GFIN), a leading international esports
entertainment group, announces that UNILAD Esports ("UNILAD"),
backed by its global media namesake, has acquired a place for its
team to compete in the third season of the Gfinity Elite Series
taking place at the Gfinity Esports Arena in London in March and
April 2018.
Under owners Liam Harrington and Sam Bentley, the British
internet media company and website UNILAD has developed into a
large media network that creates and licenses original content.
UNILAD was named the top Facebook page and online video channel in
the world in 2016. The page has 50 million fans across the world
that view over four billion pieces of content across its network.
As part of an agreement with Gfinity, UNILAD will host content from
the third season of the Gfinity Elite Series across multiple
channels during the eight weeks of competition.
The directors of Gfinity believe that UNILAD acquiring a place
on the Elite Series is further evidence of the pre-eminent status
the competition has already achieved in UK esports, while the
ability of UNILAD to drive content to their audience will
strengthen this position further. This signing demonstrates the
success of the franchise opportunity that Gfinity has created for
teams and investors. The inclusion of UNILAD alongside such global
esports giants as Fnatic, Envy, Vitality and Hashtag meanwhile will
create fantastic exposure for commercial partners aiming to
maximise the potential for sponsorship and broadcast revenues in
the future.
UNILAD comprises its primary channel as well as nine media
channels that specialise in sport, technology, travel, and other
topics. Its esports operation has some of the best global talent
including Spencer 'Gorilla' Ealing, the current FIFA Interactive
World Cup champion.
Neville Upton, Chief Executive of Gfinity, said: "The signing of
UNILAD combined with the strength of its global audience will
enable the Gfinity Elite Series to attract new fans and become an
even more exciting proposition for commercial partners and
inventors. The Gfinity Elite Series roster features some of the
biggest teams and best players from around the world and with their
combined reach and our passionate fanbase, we will create an event
that will rival any of the global tournaments."
Liam Harrington, CEO of UNILAD, said: "We're really excited that
UNILAD Esports is joining the roster for the upcoming Gfinity Elite
Series. The Gfinity Elite Series is the perfect tournament for our
global audience to engage with the best esports content and get
more fans involved in the action. We look forward to supporting our
players over the competition and working with Gfinity."
Elite Series
The Gfinity Challenger Series, which gives the opportunity for
players to compete for selection for the Elite Series, has had over
20,000 18-35-year-old gamers participate from 18 different
countries. Season One of the Elite Series created 180 hours of live
broadcast viewed by over three million people in more than 30
countries, with Elite Series Season Two receiving over five million
live views, giving a combined total of nine million views for the
first two seasons.
Having increased the number of teams competing in the third
season to 10, Nordavind joins new teams including: Hashtag United,
Team Vitality, Fnatic, and Ares, together with an existing roster
featuring major esports franchises such as Team Envy and Epsilon.
The teams will compete head-to-head on EA SPORTS FIFA 18, Rocket
League and Street Fighter V. Season Three of the Elite Series is
scheduled to start on Friday 9 March 2018.
Enquiries:
Gfinity plc www.gfinityplc.com
Neville Upton, Chief Executive Via Walbrook PR
Officer
Allenby Capital Limited - AIM Tel: +44 20 3328
Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker 5656
Jeremy Porter / John Depasquale
/ James Thomas
Shore Capital - Joint Broker Tel: +44 (0) 20
7408 4090
Patrick Castle
Walbrook PR (Media & Investor Tel: +44 (0)20
Relations) 7933 8780
Paul Cornelius /Sam Allen or gfinity@walbrookpr.com
About Gfinity
Founded in 2012, Gfinity has established itself as one of the
world's leading esports companies. The London-based business enjoys
strong relationships with game publishers, players and the wider
esports community and has built a solid reputation for delivering
high quality competitions, both on-line at www.gfinityesports.com
and off-line, in addition to producing industry leading esports
broadcasts.
The Gfinity Esports Arena at Fulham Broadway, London is the home
of UK esports showcasing regular tournaments across the full range
of competitive games. Beyond its own tournaments Gfinity provides a
full turnkey solution for brands wanting to create their own
esports tournaments and has staged premium esports events around
the globe for leading publishers and brands including Formula 1,
Microsoft, Activision, EA, Xbox, Gillette and HP.
Gfinity is an accredited official EA SPORTS(TM) FIFA 18 Global
Series qualifier as EA brings competitive FIFA to millions of fans
around the world through the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series on The
Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 in August 2018.
For more details on the entire EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series,
please visit www.FUTChampions.com
For more information about the Challenger season, which is free
and open to everyone, please visit
https://challenger.gfinityesports.com/
About UNILAD
Established in 2014, UNILAD is the largest social first
publisher - with over 40 billion video views and 1bn engagements in
2017 - the brand has developed into the most engaged and viewed
channel in the world. UNILAD has grown from a single Facebook
channel and website for the social generation into a highly-engaged
suite of verticals catering for passions and interests such as tech
and gaming. Initially only licensing viral content, UNILAD has now
evolved into a leading original content producer, blending the best
viral videos with exclusive content built for social and becoming
one of the fastest growing media properties in the world.
For more information visit http://uniladgroup.com/
About esports
Esports (electronic sports) is watching or playing competitive
video gaming. Leading titles include League of Legends,
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Defence of the Ancients 2 (DotA
2), Call of Duty and Rocket League. The industry is growing
rapidly, with new communities developing around more and more
titles. The global esports market generated US$493 million of
revenue in 2016 and is expected to make $1.5 billion by 2020. The
global esports audience in 2017 was 191 million people, 80% under
the age of 35 and 70% male (source: Newzoo). Online streaming
channels Twitch and YouTube command the biggest audiences, although
esports events are also now being broadcast on conventional TV. The
2015 League of Legends Championships finals in Berlin were watched
by 36 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14
million viewers, while at DotA 2's flagship annual championship
'The International 2016' competitors from around the world competed
for a prize pot of over $20 million.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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