ProSiebenSat.1 subsidiary 7Sports acquires 100 percent stake in eSports.com

ProSiebenSat.1 subsidiary 7Sports acquires 100 percent stake in eSports.com

Munich, October 13, 2019 - Next step in ProSiebenSat.1s eSports offensive: 7Sports increases its stake in eSports GSA GmbH from 50 to 100 percent. Thus the brand and domain of the news portal www.eSports.com will also be transferred to 7Sports. So far, 7Sports has focused on the German-speaking markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. With the complete takeover of eSports.com, the company will from now on enforce its international activities. Stefan Zant, Managing Director of 7Sports, will head the business of eSports GSA GmbH. The acquisition takes effect in the course of the insolvency of the former joint venture partner eSports.com AG.

eSports is considered to be the fastest-growing segment in the sports and entertainment sector. By 2020, sales in Germany are expected to reach Euro 130 million (2017: Euro 50 million). Analysts forecast the number of fans to reach ten million in 2021. This makes eSports one of the most popular types of sport in Germany.

Against this backdrop, 7Sports has been consistently expanding its eSports commitment since 2016 and established its own ecosystem with live broadcasts of international tournaments, a weekly highlight magazine on ProSieben MAXX, extensive digital offerings and the management of professional athletes and teams. In addition, 7Sports will organize its own eSports tournaments in the future together with external partners and develop eSports leagues.

Stefan Zant, Managing Director of 7Sports and eSports GSA GmbH: We have already proven with the NFL that we can get sports out of a niche in Germany and make them popular. This is exactly the path we are now taking with eSports. The first step is to explain the new trend sport to the public. We do this by means of editorial content on our wide-reaching TV programmes. We offer live broadcasts, show re-runs of key scenes and classify moves, tactics and strategies via our experts - just as the audience knows from major sports. The fact that we now own 100 percent of eSports.com is a strong starting point for further growth in German-speaking and international markets.

The central product of eSports GSA GmbH is the platform eSports.com. The portal is currently undergoing an extensive overhaul: With a new design and logo on a new technical platform and an even more comfortable user interface, eSports.com will become the home of all fans and interested parties in all aspects of eSports and gaming. As a news portal, eSports.com reports on worldwide eSports events as well as the scene in general, makes tables and results available and offers online tournaments. A new feature is the editing of gaming news, which are inextricably linked to eSports.

Big fan world on eSports.com for the VBL Club Championship 2019/20

From November 4, everything on eSports.com will revolve around the VBL Club Championship 2019/20. 22 clubs from the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga will play for the title of German Club Champion 2020 in FIFA 20. The cross-media production of ProSiebenSat.1 on linear TV channel ProSieben MAXX, on eSports.com as well as on all social media channels provides intensive coverage of the tournament up to the finals of the eFootball competition. eSports.com shows the highlights of all matches, provides all data and facts about the individual matches, portraits gamers and offers in-depth tutorials for occasional gamers. The aim is to create a unique world of fans.

About 7Sports:

ProSiebenSat.1 Group's entire innovative and digital sports portfolio is bundled under 7Sports. The umbrella brand for the media group's sports business focuses on the establishment of digital sports platforms, the expansion and 360 marketing strength of exclusive sports productions, the management of young and professional athletes and premium sport events. 7Sports benefits from ProSiebenSat.1 Group's many years of experience with popular sports brands and the successful acquisition of new platforms such as Sportdeutschland.TV and 90min. This enables ideal synergies between the individual sports segments. With ProSiebenSat.1's marketing power in the sports sector, 7Sports is one of the most profitable platforms for sports-oriented advertisers, cooperation partners, co-investors and professional athletes in the German-speaking region. 7Sports is a ProSiebenSat.1 Sports GmbH brand.

LINK:	https://en.prosiebensat1.com/en/press/prosiebensat-1-subsidiary-7sport...
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