ProSiebenSat.1 Partners with eSports Portal

ProSiebenSat.1’s 7Sports business unit is entering into a joint venture with eSports.com, which covers the industry with news and video from tournaments worldwide.

The partners will collaborate on the eSports.com platform in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, targeting eSports enthusiasts. Revenues from eSports in Germany are forecast to hit 130 million euros by 2020. The companies each hold a 50-percent stake in the newly established eSports GSA GmbH, which will be managed by Stefan Zant, managing director and COO of 7Sports, and Fabian Furch, CEO of eSports.com AG.

Conrad Albert, deputy CEO of ProSiebenSat.1 Media, commented, “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. 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 digital via www.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.”

Furch added, “As far as we are concerned, the future of eSports lies in particular in expanding the target group and their broad-ranging interest in the world of digital sports. We share this vision with our partner 7Sports. We intend to become the leading platform for media content and for every kind of eSports fan. We are confident that this will allow us to actively shape the progress of eSports into the global mainstream.”