Grass Valley teams with eSports leader FACEIT to bring live gaming to IBC2018

Grass Valley teams with eSports leader FACEIT to bring live gaming to IBC2018 posted: 09/09/2018

IBC 2018 attendees will see Grass Valley's live production expertise in-action through a live eSports competition on the company's booth

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, has announced a collaboration with FACEIT, the leading competitive gaming platform and event producer, to bring a live eSports competition to IBC 2018. Hosted on the Grass Valley booth (9.A01), an exclusive gaming area will be set up for professional players to compete, and for IBC attendees to take in the action of a live eSports viewing experience.

eSports has taken the world by storm. With market revenue forecast to reach $1.65 billion by 2020 and a recently confirmed place at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, eSports has evolved beyond the realm of niche entertainment and cemented itself into the mainstream. With growing advertising revenues, a global online audience of over 300 million, and construction of dedicated stadiums, today's players are competing for multi-million-dollar prize money. Moreover, as the availability of high bandwidth streaming media platforms increases, eSports is reaching wider global audiences and attracting investment of entertainment companies, broadcasters and brands.

eSports fans expect immersive experiences across multiple platforms, with access to game footage, the on-stage playing environment, commentary, and closeups and interviews with players. At IBC, Grass Valley's expansive suite of live production solutions will use the high-quality content from the gaming area to demonstrate how professional broadcast solutions can be leveraged to enhance the action and excitement of an eSports stadium experience.

The market growth of eSports has been nothing short of incredible, and it hasn't even reached its full potential, said Mark Hilton, vice president of Live Production for Grass Valley. eSports is just starting to come into its own in terms of professionally produced content. This holds tremendous potential for broadcasters and content creators to create and deliver high-quality content for this rapidly-growing sector. As the number one player in content and media technology, Grass Valley is perfectly positioned to be the transformation partner our customers are looking for to enter this new sector and capitalize on the opportunities it offers.

eSports is a prime example of the exciting changes taking place in today's media landscape, and IBC is the perfect arena to demonstrate how its creation, production and distribution value can be maximised, added Andrew Lane, technical broadcast manager, FACEIT. As we look to grow our audience and engage them in innovative ways, we need partners that can help us flexibly adjust to what the future could hold for this promising sector. Nothing compels a viewer like a live event, and Grass Valley has the experience and sophisticated solutions we need to bring eSports to more screens for our viewers. We are very proud to be collaborating with Grass Valley again to bring this immersive live eSports experience to IBC.

About FACEIT

FACEIT is the leading competitive platform for online multiplayer games, with more than 8 million users logging in a total of over 12 million online game sessions each month. FACEIT allows players to easily play in tournaments and leagues for virtual and real-world prizes through automated tournament management and competitive gaming technology. For developers, FACEIT's advanced software development kit (SDK) allows game creators to easily integrate user-friendly competitive gaming and tournaments into their titles to allow gamers to take part in competitive online games at all skill levels. esports organizers, players and communities use FACEIT to create and manage online competitions.

About Grass Valley

Grass Valley is focused on empowering customers to create, control and connect content wherever, however and whenever it is consumed. In this ever-changing media landscape, content remains the most important element. Many of our customers are faced with the need to create and support new workflows while continuing to operate their legacy workflows, simultaneously broadcasting through traditional channels, Over-The-Top platforms, and Video-On-Demand as well as to tablets, PCs, and mobile devices.

We provide the innovative tools and expertise to help customers improve the efficiency of their operations while telling better stories to attract and keep viewers. With Grass Valleys integrated solutions that enable flexibility, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, quality and scalability, broadcasters and content creators have what they need to sustain their businesses. Headquartered in Montreal, Grass Valley has been in the broadcast business for nearly 60 years and is part of St. Louis-based Belden Inc.

LINK:	https://www.live-production.tv/news/sports/grass-valley-teams-esports-...
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