BT Sport to broadcast Gfinity's Elite Series

RNS Number : 6670M

Gfinity PLC

01 August 2017

 

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information according to REGULATION (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR)

Gfinity plc

("Gfinity" or the "Company")

                                               BT Sport to broadcast new Elite Series esports tournament

Broadcaster to screen first season of the new Gfinity Elite Series

Gfinity plc, a leading international esports company, announces a broadcast partnership with BT Sport, a 24/7 sports centric TV channel, to show its Elite Series which has been running since 7 July 2017 at the Gfinity Esports Arena in London. Broadcasting will commence on Tuesday 1 August 2017.

The new deal will bring esports, already viewed by millions online, to new audiences and allow BT Sport subscribers to view the tournament which will feature some of the top professional players in competitive gaming from both the UK and internationally.

As previously announced, the Elite Series tournament will see eight professional esports teams compete over nine weekends of head-to-head gameplay in a bid to win the Elite Series title and a share of the £225,000 prize money and showcase their skills on the world stage, marking an important milestone in the significance and growth of the UK esports scene.

To qualify for the Elite Series at the Gfinity Esports Arena, gamers of all levels have been playing online at GfinityEsports.com in the Challenger Series for ranking points. The leading competitors then qualified for the Gfinity Elite Draft, which gave them the chance to be selected for a coveted roster spot with a Gfinity Elite Series professional team.

The Gfinity Elite Series will run for nine weeks. This is the first time the UK esports community has had the opportunity to participate in a structured live league competition featuring top UK and foreign players based in London, at both grass roots and pro-level. The league promises to offer exciting new opportunities to watch or play in a fiercely competitive environment.

Neville Upton, Chief Executive of Gfinity, said:

"We are very pleased to launch this partnership and deliver the Elite Series to our fans on TV, through BT Sport. BT Sport has shown a commitment to be at the forefront of sports broadcasting and this is an amazing opportunity to bring esports to a new audience in the UK, showcasing the incredible engagement and passion of the gamers and fans. We look forward to working with BT Sport to grow esports in the UK through engaging and innovative new content."

Andy Haworth, BT's managing director of content and strategy, said

"This fantastic tie-up with Gfinity marks our latest move to support and engage with the passionate and extensive gaming community here in the UK. The popularity of competitive gaming is growing rapidly and we are excited to announce that the inaugural season of the Elite Series will be broadcast on BT Sport."

Enquiries:

Gfinity plc	www.gfinityplc.com
Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer	Via Walbrook PR
Allenby Capital Limited - AIM Nominated Adviser and Broker	Tel. [phone]
Jeremy Porter / John Depasquale / James Thomas
Walbrook PR (Media & Investor Relations)	Tel: [phone]
Paul Cornelius / Helen Cresswell / Sam Allen	or [e-mail]

About Gfinity

Founded in 2012, Gfinity has quickly established itself as one of the world's leading esports business.  The London-based company enjoys strong relationships with game publishers, players and the wider esports community and has built a reputation for delivering top quality esport competitions, both on-line and off-line, and producing industry leading esports broadcasts.

Gfinity delivers online esport competitions open to all registrants and  stages world leading off-line events in which the world's top esport players travel to the Gfinity Esports Arena in London to take part in competitions broadcast on-line to millions of viewers worldwide.  Gfinity stages live esports events featuring top video gaming titles, across PCs, consoles and mobile devices. 

Gfinity monetises the strong position that it has created through a combination of sponsorship, advertising, broadcast income relating to Gfinity's own events and through fees received for creating and delivering bespoke events for sponsors and game publishers seeking to engage with the esports community.

 

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