Sports Interactive, exclusive multi-year renewal

RNS Number : 2924W

Bidstack Group PLC

17 August 2022

 

REACH ANNOUNCEMENT

17 August 2022

Bidstack Group Plc

("Bidstack" or the "Company" or the "Group")

Sports Interactive, exclusive multi-year renewal

Bidstack Group Plc (AIM: BIDS), the in-game brand activation platform, is pleased to announce the exclusive multi-year renewal of its agreement with Sports Interactive, the creator of Football Manager. This represents the second extension of the contract, which began in 2017.  The success of the partnership between the Company and Sports Interactive results from the commitment by both companies to pioneering innovative monetisation streams for high fidelity gaming environments enabled by Bidstack's technology. 

Sports Interactive is one of the world's leading developers of sports management simulations.  Founded in 1994 and based in Stratford, London, it has more than 250 full time team members and approximately 1,300 researchers across the globe.  It became a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEGA in 2006.  The studio has enjoyed both critical and commercial success, having won a number of awards, including two BAFTAs, with titles selling over a million copies annually across platforms such as Steam, Microsoft Game Pass and the App Store.

Bidstack's SDK (software development kit) allows developers and publishers to deliver static and dynamic intrinsic in-game ads into mobile, PC and console games.  It offers value beyond ad delivery when it is used to manage dynamic content, data collection and measuring viewability, coupled with the Company's AdConsole suite of supporting applications.  

James Draper, CEO of Bidstack said:

"The success and longevity of our partnership with Sports Interactive illustrates the evolution of monetisation in video games and stands testament to the strength of our commercial relationship.  It is also a clear validation of the robustness of our technology to ensure brand safety, viewability and reporting to enhance the player experience. 

"I am looking forward to continuing to work closely with Sports Interactive to create value and evolve our product suite.  We will also explore other use cases for our SDK such as marketing promotions through in-game placements to drive player acquisition and retention, as well as optimisation of developer resources."

Matt Carroll, COO of Sports Interactive said:

" In-game advertising, while an important commercial tool, has been specifically implemented in Football Manager in a way that supports the game experience for our players. By using pitchside LEDs, the ads which the Bidstack tech serves look just as they do in real-world football matches, preserving the 'suspension of disbelief' and tying our in-game experiences to real world campaigns and sponsors.

"For advertisers who are looking for passionate football fans for their campaigns, our realistic in-game experience can complement live activities by timing, leagues or countries across 17 languages. Over the next three years we look forward to using Bidstack's technology services in new opportunities and evolving our relationship further."

-ENDS-

Contacts

Bidstack Group Plc James Draper, CEO	via Buchanan
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (Nomad) Mark Brady / Neil Baldwin / James Keeshan	[phone]
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Broker) Fred Walsh / Tom Marsh	[phone]
Buchanan Communications Limited Chris Lane / Stephanie Whitmore / Kim van Beeck [e-mail]	[phone]

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