Gfinity Regulatory News (GFIN)

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

Gfinity plc

("Gfinity" or the "Company")

Strategic Partnership with MediaCom Sport & Entertainment

Gfinity Plc, a leading esports promoter, announces a strategic partnership with MediaCom Sport & Entertainment, a division of MediaCom, one of the world's leading media agencies, to identify and develop innovative partnership opportunities for potential sponsors within the esports environment.

This follows the 17 November 2016 announcement launching the Gfinity Elite Series (the "Elite Series"), a dynamic new esports format designed to create the largest and most competitive esports platform in the UK, attracting players from amateur level through to elite and professional status. The partnership with MediaCom is expected to enable Gfinity to maximise the commercial value of its assets and leverage the brand and consumer insights to attract a wide range of partners.

MediaCom advises a number of blue-chip clients, including American Airlines, Sony, Allianz, Indeed and Škoda on how to best optimise their investments in sport and entertainment. 

Misha Sher, MediaCom Head of Sport & Entertainment, said:

"Esports is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, especially with the much sought-after millennial audience. Gfinity has been one of the early trend setters in the sport and the Elite and Challenger Series have the foundations to become the biggest competitions in the world. As an agency that has always been at the forefront of trends and innovation, it's a privilege for us to partner with Gfinity who we believe will be the world's leading eSports producer and operator." 

Neville Upton, Chief Executive of Gfinity, said:

"Our ambition is to develop a world class eSports competition that provides an unparalleled experience for competitors, partners, and fans. Partnering with MediaCom Sport & Entertainment at the launch of the Elite Series will ensure that we create the most attractive and engaging environment for partners, many of whom are eager to get involved with the sport. Our colleagues at MediaCom work alongside some of the world's biggest brands and have a unique understanding of how esports can offer an environment in which to engage with millions of their core consumers."

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About Gfinity:

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

The Company has over half a million registered users, eligible to compete in its online competitions and stages world leading off-line events, which see the top players in the world, across a range of esports titles travel to the Gfinity Arena in London to take part in competitions, which are broadcast on-line to millions of viewers around the world. The Company stages events featuring a number of top video gaming titles, across PCs, consoles and mobile devices.

The Company 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.

About esports

esports (electronic sports) is watching or playing competitive video gaming. Leading titles include League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Defence of the Ancients 2 (DoTA 2), Call of Duty and Rocket League. The industry is growing rapidly, with new communities developing around more and more titles. The global esports market generated US$325 million of revenue in 2015 and is expected to make $463 million in 2016. The global esports audience in 2015 was 226 million people, 80% under the age of 35 and 70% male (source: Newzoo). Online streaming channels Twitch and YouTube command the biggest audiences, although esports events are also now being broadcast on conventional TV. The 2015 League of Legends Championships finals in Berlin were watched by 36 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14 million viewers, while at DotA 2's flagship annual championship 'The International 2016' competitors from around the world competed for a prize pot of over $20 million.