Esports

In this issue we cover the following: QATAR CRISIS – BeIN hits out at 'scaremongering' VIRTUAL REALITY – Is the much hyped technology finally ready to make a difference? SPORTS

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has said he is open to the inclusion of esports at the Olympics, but only through games that promote “Olympic values” adding that the industry still faces challenges from an organisational perspective.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) in a move designed to promote and develop table tennis esports.

Performance management company Nielsen has launched an esports division.

Video game developer Electronic Arts has partnered with American football league the NFL to launch a new competitive gaming and esports event in what is claimed to be the biggest commitment to the sector by a US professional sports league.

The Formula One motor-racing championship has entered the competitive gaming arena with the launch of its own esports series.

Global performance management company Nielsen Sports has today (Thursday) launched a new division that will analyse and identify opportunities in the esports market.

US video game developer Activision Blizzard has announced the sale of a further two franchises for its new Overwatch League, with US esports organisation Cloud9 securing the rights to a London team and the Kroenke family landing a second franchise in Los Angeles.

Paris 2024 co-chairman Tony Estanguet has said he would be open to esports being added to the programme of events for the French capital’s staging of the summer Olympic Games.

Esports is expected to have an audience of almost 200 million viewers in just two years' time, but, as Richard Clarke suggests, the sector faces a number of significant hurdles if it is to fulfil its potential.

US video game developer Activision Blizzard has announced the sale of the first seven franchises for its new Overwatch League, with high-profile sports executives Robert Kraft and Jeff Wilpon among the owners of the new teams, which will be based in the US, China and South Korea.

Gamification may no longer be the next big thing, but it still offers rights-holders the chance to build their brand, increase engagement and even improve standards. Andy Fry speaks to organisations that are getting it right.

Moritz Maurer, head of esports at Genius Sports, believes data and integrity will be at the heart of esports’ irresistible rise.

Riot Games, which publishes League of Legends, has unveiled a new franchise model for the esports North American League of Legends Championship Series.

AFL Aussie rules football team the Adelaide Crows has reached an agreement to acquire a professional esports franchise, in a move that the club said sets a first for Australian mainstream sport.

The MotoGP motorcycling championship has announced the launch of an esports series, which will debut this year ahead of a full roll-out in 2018.