Sports marketing and management firm Twenty First Century Media (TCM) has launched a full service esports marketing division, TCM eSports. 

India-based TCM holds exclusive rights across various cricket stadia in India and globally, including exclusive naming, sponsorship and in stadia rights across New Zealand Cricket, Cricket West Indies & Asia Cup tournaments (Asian Cricket Council). It also has partnerships with the cricket boards of South Africa, Bangladesh, England, and Australia. 

The company says it intends to use its experience to work on both sides of the esports industry by connecting brands with esports organisations, while working with game publishers and third-party tournaments to create, distribute, and monetise esports content. 

TCM has been confirmed as Knowledge Partner for the upcoming Financial Express – India Gaming Summit presented by Google and co-presented by Paytm First Games. The event is scheduled for 28-30 July 2020. 

Discussing the launch Managing Director of TCM, Lokesh Sharma, said:

“As people continue to practice social distancing and stay home amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile gaming has become a preferred pastime for not just entertainment but also social connection. 

“There is widening of the digital media landscape and the rise in popularity of mobile gaming, esports, influencer-marketing, digital videos provide huge digital audiences. With the launch of our TCM eSports division, we want to create engagement opportunities for brands & publishers with this audience.”

While CEO of TCM, Basant Dhawan, added:

“As per global data measurement agency Nielsen, gaming in India has grown by 24% in June versus pre lockdown period. The vast majority of esports fans do not watch TV and they represent the youngest audience in all of sports. The average weekly time spent for gaming in India stands at a whopping 3 hours and 7 mins. 

“This creates a great opportunity for brands that want to reach, engage and create a sustainable relationship with an otherwise hard to reach audience and for sports properties which want to groom and engage the next generation of their fans.”

AYO.NEWS says:

The traditional sports business has been shaken to the core by the COVID-19 pandemic, and is finally realising it needs to prepare for a long-drawn out crisis that could last many years. 

In fact, just yesterday, Sir John Bell, one of the world’s leading immunologists warned British MPs that COVID-19 could be “here forever.” According to the UK’s Independent, Bell told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee that any potential vaccine is:

“Unlikely to have a durable effect that’ll last for a very long time… So, we’re going to have a continual cycle of vaccinations and then more disease, and more vaccinations and more disease.”

So, despite the reprieve that parts of Europe are experiencing over summer, we expect to see many more traditional sports marketing and management agencies divert resources to esports in anticipation of a much longer crisis.  

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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