BBC Sport has confirmed it will be broadcasting the Rocket League European Spring Series across its website, app, and BBC iPlayer. 

As we reported at the end of March, Rocket League’s developer Psyonix launched the Spring Series to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the Season 9 World Championship due to the COVID-19 crisis. An entirely online tournament, it covers four regions; Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania. 

Open qualifiers for the European Spring Series began on 5-6 May, and on 9 May eight best-of-five matches will be broadcast, in which two teams will be eliminated. On 10 May, the playoffs will be completed, including the best-of-seven final series. 

Commenting on the news Head of Digital for BBC Sport, Ben Gallop, said:

“Rocket League is one of the most exciting Esports in the gaming world and to have the European Spring Series live on the BBC’s digital platforms is something we’re really pleased to be able to offer, especially for our younger audiences.BBC Sport is constantly evolving and a time like this gives us the chance to do even more with Esports, as well as looking ahead to see what’s possible in the future.”

AYO.NEWS says:

When even the beeb are getting in on the esports action, you know it’s really going mainstream. Staying with British sports broadcasters and esports, just hours ago we reported that BT Sport has said it will be showing the new Isolation eRacing Series tournament. 

‘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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BT Sport has secured broadcasting rights for the new Isolation eRacing Series tournament. 

Starting on Monday 11 May, the virtual motorsports competition will see stars from Formula One, Formula E, and other professional motorsports series race against each other at virtual versions of iconic racetracks, including the UK’s Silverstone, Belgium’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and America’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

More than 100 pro real-world drivers

In all, more than 100 professional drivers will be taking part, including Formula One’s Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi, Formula E’s Oliver Rowland, F4’s Sebastian Montoya, and British driver and F1 pundit Billy Monger. 

Every episode will consist of three live heats, with the top ten drivers from each making it to the final race. Each event will feature one practice session, qualifying, three qualifying heats, and a feature (final) race. Each driver will be awarded points based on their performance in the final races, which will, after the eight round competition is complete, determine the final championship table. 

Coverage will also include interviews with participants, and viewers will be able to influence which circuits are raced at by voting on social media. 

Organisers say that in addition to giving motorsport fans their racing fix during the COVID-19 lockdown, the series will also help new stars to develop, and keep current racing drivers on top of their game.

Drivers will be competing using virtual F3 cars – using the same state-of-the-art racing sim technology that Formula One drivers use for practice. The series will use the iRacing game. 

Image credit: WH Sports

Discussing the new series heat of BT Sport, Simon Green, said:

“It’s fantastic to see the world of motorsport coming together to create an exciting and innovative new series at a time when viewers are missing their fix of live action. Lockdown is driving broadcast innovation apace across all of our sports and it is great to broadcast this new show to our motorsport fans alongside our live weekly MotoGP show on Sundays.”

The series was created by former racing driver Enzo Mucci and Chris Harfield of WH Sports, who added: 

“The series began life as a training exercise for professional drivers to keep sharp during isolation. It quickly became fiercely competitive and we were inundated with requests from drivers from a range of global motorsport disciplines who wanted to take part. 

“The result is guaranteed excitement, as the stars of today go head to head with the stars of tomorrow. We are delighted to have teamed up with a renowned broadcaster in BT Sport, who will help bring the tournament to the homes of millions across the country, keeping them entertained during lockdown.”

The Isolation eRacing Series will begin at 18:00 on Monday, 11 May on BT Sport 1 and will be a weekly series, and broadcast every Monday after that.

AYO.NEWS says:

Though the COVID-19 induced lockdowns have led to a surge in interest in all esports genres, the one that has perhaps gained most traction with mainstream broadcasters is sim racing. With many professional real-world drivers already familiar with games like iRacing, and plenty of highly developed virtual cars and tracks already available, plus a viewing experience that very closely mirrors the real thing, and plenty of opportunities for continued sponsor visibility, the transition has been relatively easy. 

Over the course of the crisis, we’ve seen Formula One, NASCAR, Subaru, and the Australian Supercars Championship all launch new esports series, while major broadcasters including FOX and NBC have significantly expanded their sim racing coverage. 

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

London-based esports organisation Fnatic has entered a global partnership with gaming chair manufacturer Anda Seat. 

The partnership, which makes Anda Seat the organisation’s exclusive gaming chair partner, will also see the release of a limited edition Fnatic-branded chair. 

Commenting on the partnership Founder and CEO of Fnatic, Sam Matthews, said:

“At Fnatic, our goal is to seek out, level up and amplify every gamer on the planet, and with AndaSeat we have found the perfect partner to achieve this through the creation of the Fnatic Edition Anda Seat chair.

“Whether you’re competing at the highest level or gaming casually from home, comfort is something that is key to maximising your gaming experience and success, and we’re excited to bring Anda Seat’s excellence in ergonomic technology to both our players and our fans across the globe.”

While CEO and Founder of Anda Seat, Zhou Lin, added:

“AndaSeat is proud to bring our ergonomic technology to support Fnatic’s excellence in their way of world championships and their vision of combining channels through which young people communicate with the world’s leading and forward-thinking brands.

“The integration of AndaSeat chairs into Fnatic teams is an important step for our long-term partnership, and our commitment demonstrates an increasing maturity in the adoption of professional gaming chairs for gamers.”

Though gaming chair partnerships are very common in esports, this partnership is notable in the fact that it Anda Seat is not so well known in Europe, being more familiar in China and South Korea thanks to its partnerships with Victory Five, MQ and SUNING Esports.

The company was founded in 2007 and quickly made a name for itself in the traditional sporting world, being exclusive chair sponsor of China National Football team and China National Volleyball team.

Fnatic, which currently fields teams in League of Legends, CS:GO, Dota 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Fortnite, FIFA and PUBG Mobile, was previously partnered with US gaming chair brand DXRacer.

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Activision Blizzard has selected Sportradar to ensure the integrity of Call of Duty League and Overwatch League.

The companies have signed a multi-year agreement that will see Switzerland-based Sportradar implement a comprehensive integrity strategy for both leagues, aimed at preventing betting fraud and corruption.

In addition to monitoring global betting activity on the leagues, Sportradar will also be providing education and training for players regarding risks and rules of betting. 

Discussing the partnership Head of Strategic Initiatives at Activision Blizzard Esports, Jason Hahn, said:

“Call of Duty League and Overwatch League have long taken steps to safeguard the integrity of matches, and working with Sportradar is a step to further reinforce the importance of fair play. As our esports activities continue to grow and as fans increasingly engage with wagering on matches, we need to ensure we are doing as much as we can to proactively protect our ecosystem.

“Working with Sportradar, an industry leader, is important in protecting our players, teams and matches and giving fans the best experience they deserve. We look forward to establishing this relationship with Sportradar and continued expansion of our work together.”

While Head of Integrity Services and League Relations, North America, at Sportradar, Andy Cunningham, added:

“Integrity is a crucial component to the overall success of esports, especially in a time with more betting opportunities available and more tournaments taking place. We look forward to working with the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League to fortify their already powerful integrity measures.”

Since July last year, Sportradar has also been providing a similar service to Riot Games.

AYO.NEWS says:

This is a timely move by Activision Blizzard. With esports betting enjoying a surge in popularity due to the COVID-19 global sports shutdown, and many new people being introduced to it for the first time,  it is more critical than ever for tournament organisers to prove to the world that esports is above board and integrity is a priority. Any major scandal right now could severely damage the public’s perception of the industry.

Staying with Sportradar, just yesterday we reported the company is helping K League go global, as Korean football re-starts following the COVID-19 shutdown.

‘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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The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has approved wagering on DreamHack Masters Spring CS:GO event.

Thanks to the latest in a string of esports betting exemptions issued by the NGCB, licensed sports betting operators in the state will now be able to accept bets on the 2020 DreamHack Masters. Head-to-head, match winner, and overall winner bets will be permitted. 

The event, which is the fourth Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament to be cleared by the NGCB over the past couple of months (alongside ESL Pro League, ESL Meisterschaft, and ESL Rio Major), starts on 19 May. 

As per usual, Nevada bookies intending to accept bets on DreamHack Masters Spring must comply with the rules set out by the NGCB, including making the tournament organiser’s official rules publicly available before accepting wagers, and notifying the Enforcement Division. 

Again, as we’ve seen with other approved esports events, in-play betting will not be permitted, and the odds offered will be at the discretion of the individual operators concerned. Any sportsbooks wishing to offer other bet types must first submit separate applications for approval. 

AYO.NEWS says:

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is proving quite enthusiastic when it comes to esports, giving hard-pressed bookies in the state at least some reprieve from the COVID-19 crisis. 

In addition to CS:GO, the NGCB has also recently approved wagering on Call of Duty League, League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), League of Legends European Championship (LEC), eNASCAR and Dota 2, and OverWatch League. 

‘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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Electronic Arts (EA), developer of titles including Apex Legends and the EA Sports series, has reported USD $5.54 billion revenue for fiscal year 2020. 

The company exceeded expectations, generating $1.39 billion in revenues during Q4 alone, significantly above the $1.19 most analysts predicted. 

For fiscal year 2020, EA generated revenues of $5.54 billion – up 12% on the previous year. Net income for the year was $3.04 billion. 

EA attributed the better than expected results to strong digital sales and franchises, and said digital net bookings were up 9% year-on-year, now making up 78% of its total net bookings. 

In terms of specific titles, Madden NFL 20 saw record engagement, while Apex Legends was the most downloaded free-to-play PS4 game during the year, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order racked-up more than 10 million unique players. 

Looking ahead, the company has told investors it expects to generate $1.22 billion in net revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 – however,  it only expects $270 million of net income. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Given that the vast majority of its revenue is generated from downloaded digital entertainment, and it has some of the world’s most popular video game and esports titles in its portfolio, EA has found itself extremely well-placed to benefit from the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

Of course, despite lockdowns easing in some places, health authorities are warning that lockdowns could well return periodically over the next year or so, as new waves of infections hit – which could boost business even further… unless people find themselves unemployed and without financial support that is. 

Interesting times…

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020