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Good morning! It’s Thursday and this is your early morning Esports brief.
 Competitive VALORANT locked in plans for the next five years as Riot Games unveiled structures and how competition will work as the title prepares to launch its new partnered league. Teams who don’t make it into the partnership program will see an overhauled path-to-pro as the VALORANT Champions Tour hits 2023 with regional Challengers events, where up-and-coming talent can compete with an eye to play in the international tournament leagues.
The revamped VCT Challengers slate will encompass 21 leagues across three major regions: four in the Americas, seven in EMEA, and 10 in APAC. In addition, there will be a new tier of competition is called Challengers Ascension in EMEA, Americas, and Pacific as the top teams in each of the Challenger leagues moving on to the Ascension league, where they will crown the best team in their territory. One team from each of the three regions will compete for the prize of a spot in the next year’s international league.
Meanwhile, the top franchised leagues in Asia, America, and Europe have reportedly found a home. Dot Esports reports that while teams await word on if their bids are approved for the top league, play in 2023 will take place in Seoul, Los Angeles, and Berlin.
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COMPETITION
The Rocket League Championship Series World Championship roared in its return to LAN, setting a record for the title with over 10.1 million hours watched per Esports Charts. Broadcasts was an average of 154,300 average viewers and nabbed 368,000 at its peak. The RLCS 2021-22 World Championship is now the most popular tournament in Rocket League history by all major metrics, generating twice as many Hours Watched as the second most watched event.
Meanwhile, Dota 2’s grand return to North America with the Arlington Major paid dividends, as 18 teams in play and the event scoring as the second most-viewed Major in Dota 2’s history, according to Esports Charts. The Arlington Major scored 707,907 peak viewers, with 305,286 average viewers, making it also the sixth most watched Dota 2 event in general.
Smite Pro League revealed that its World Championship will take place from Jan. 13-15 with eight teams competing for the crown. The event will take place at Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas.
Riot revealed dates for when fans can grab tickets for Worlds 2022, which span Sept. 29 to Nov. 5 as 24 teams from around the world settle it all for the League of Legends World Championship. Ticket sales for each stage of the event will roll out in two phases. Play-In Stage, Group State, Quarterfinals and Semifinals tickets will go on sale on Sept. 8., with competition in Mexico City, NYC and Atlanta. Finals tickets will be available starting Sept. 29, with the event taking place on Nov. 5 in San Francisco.
Twitch Rivals is cooking up a return of the Riot Games Summer Rumble, running Aug 22-24 as 10 all-creator teams compete for $100,000. Teams will span Europe, the Middle East and Africa, competing in VALORANT, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics.
Xfinity is donating four simulators to various HBCUs as part of its partnership with eNASCAR’s College iRacing Series. Four selected HBCU schools will receive simulators throughout an upcoming HBCU college campus tour. Bowie State University, Delaware State University, Texas Southern University, and Spelman College will all receive an Xfinity racing simulator at various stops along the tour taking place this fall. Last month, Xfinity announced that it would join the fall season of the eNASCAR College iRacing Series as a presenting sponsor. The series kicks off on Sept. 20.
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EBS 2022
EBS is proud to present the EBSU Path to Pro series of discussions and events at this year’s summit, (Nov. 1-3 in Las Vegas). Dedicating a full track of discussion to the business of collegiate sports, grassroots development and careers in esports for students, in addition to networking speed dating to meet some of the biggest executives and personalities on the scene, administrators and students alike will all find value. For the first time, we have student prices! Hope to see you there.
Last week for nominations, get ‘em in!!! The Tempest Awards bring together the entire esports ecosystem to celebrate cutting-edge innovation in the competitive gaming industry. Open to individuals and teams worldwide, find out more and enter by August 12th to save! ENTER NOW. Last calls for judges! Contact Carley ([email protected]) if interested.
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STREAM HATCHET INSIGHTS
Online gambling has seen a considerable rise in popularity in the last few years on live streaming platforms, drawing in huge audiences. Slots and poker are the two most popular types of gambling live streamed on Twitch.
Gambling live streams have increased over the course of the pandemic. In 2020, total slots and poker hours watched sat around 224 million hours watched. In 2021, that number increased 57% to 352 million hours watched.
That number continues to rise into 2022 even as consumers have started resuming pre-pandemic habits. In the first two quarters of 2022, Twitch viewers have watched 244 million hours of online gambling streams, more than all of 2020.
As online gambling has continued to reach more and more consumers, some gambling companies such as Stake and PokerStars have extended their reach on Twitch. Stake has partnered with some of the biggest streamers including xQc, AdinRoss, and TrainwrecksTv to further push gambling content.
Read more on Stream Hatchet’s blog.
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| 2022 Model D + It List Awards
Reminder: Entry rate increasing 8/26
Cynopsis Media is proud to put together a fantastic awards ceremony honoring innovative executives in digital media, along with leaders of online video content and advertising. With more categories than ever before, including, “Outstanding Progress in Measuring Diverse Audiences” and “Best New Tool for Capturing First-Party Data,” we look to expand and recognize untapped groups like never before. With rates due to increase by $100 on 8/26, why wait?
ENTER NOW
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SPONSORSHIP & ACTIVATION
 Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes staple Tony the Tiger will make his streaming debut courtesy of a new activation through Twitch’s Brand Partnership Studio. The brand mascot will become an interactive VTuber — in Tony the Tiger’s GR-R-REAT CEREAL BOWL OF GR-R-REATNESS livestreamed event. Tony will go head-to-head LIVE with Twitch streamers Brennon “ GoldGlove” O’Neill, Chrissy Costanza (chrissyofficial) and Jakeem “BigCheese” Johnson on Tony’s new Twitch channel, twitch.tv/TonyTheTiger on Friday from 5-7p.
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are teaming with Twitch to load up the CKE Test Kitchen charbroilers and experiment with new recipes. The collaboration will allow Twitch streamers and viewers, the opportunity to create their own potential menu item. Throughout the past few weeks, fans have had the opportunity to vote for their favorite ingredients on social media. Chef Owen Klein, vice president of global culinary innovation of CKE Restaurants, and Twitch streamer and Ambassador, Storymodebae, will host a Culinary Showdown livestream on Monday, to create limited-time menu items based on community submissions. During the week of Oct. 24, Storymodebae will return to announce the winning limited-time menu item. In this final stream, viewers will have to work together in Chat to decode a series of clues that will unlock and reveal the new menu item.
The Panda Cup announced a deal with Grubhub to serve as the Official Delivery Partner of the 2022 Panda Cup, Nintendo’s first-ever officially licensed North American circuit for Super Smash Bros. The next stop on the circuit will be at Almost Pro in Seattle from Sept. 2-4.
Special Olympics will showcase the second annual Gaming for Inclusion esports experience presented by Microsoft on Sept. 10, bringing together Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners to compete in Rocket League on Xbox and PC for the chance to play alongside celebrity supporters of Special Olympics, including the NFL’s Jamaal Charles, TikTok influencer and content creator vaultboy, and WWE Superstars on Sept. 17. This year, Gaming for Inclusion will include a leadership opportunity for three Special Olympics athletes to become shoutcasters and hosts for the Celebrity Showcase.
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TEAMS
Butler University announced that Beastcoast will move in as the newest tenant at Esports Park. Beastcoast staff and esports players will use the Esports Park facilities for competitive training “while forging a deeper relationship with the collegiate esports scene in Indianapolis and the Greater Midwest region.” “I’ve been impressed by Butler University’s significant investment in esports, particularly the emphasis they’ve placed on growing collegiate esports,” said Grant Zinn, Beastcoast co-Founder and CEO. “It reflects Beastcoast’s own community-focused values, including our deep connection with the grassroots esports scene. Esports Park is a fantastic facility, and I’m proud that Beastcoast is here in Indianapolis as one of the inaugural partners. I have no doubt that with the high level of quality at Esports Park, our players will be able to train and reach even greater competitive heights.”
Top Minecraft creators raised over $350,000 in just three hours for the fight against AIDS and COVID-19 on Aug. 4 as RED livestreamed gaming event ‘The (RED) Creator Cup’ which sought to raise needed awareness and money to ensure testing, treatment, and vaccines are available to the most vulnerable. Creators, including Bajan Canadian, AntVenom, Joe Bartolozzi, Loony, Papaplatte, Legundo, the ItsFunneh Krew, and SpideyArmy from the Misfits Gaming Group teamed-up for the event, rallying their communities to donate and join (RED)’s mission.
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READYUP EVENTS OF THE WEEK
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| PLATFORMS/METAVERSE
Wisdom Gaming opened the doors to Wisdom Labs, a new division designed to expand the company’s creative and development capabilities and providing services within the Web3 space for brand partners. “We’re thrilled to be working with Wisdom Labs on the long awaited PvP game mode,” said Frisky Fox, Founder of Kingdom Studios. “Working with the Wisdom team allows us to leverage their significant creative and development experience to build out a feature our community has been eagerly waiting for. We know that the expansion is in good hands, which allows us to focus on improving and growing other aspects of DeFi Kingdoms.”
Oddin.gg, a provider of B2B esports odds technology and feeds, revealed a Series A financing round, raising $4.5 million from its investors, as well as from Velo Partners and Genting Ventures.
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TITLES
The Madden NFL 23 Soundtrack revealed its lineup of “artists, all-star collaborations, gifted rookies, and gritty exclusives that will hit everything all season long.” Writer/producer/rapper Hit-Boy created 33 exclusive beats for the game’s cinematics. In addition, Hit-Boy and Cordae collaborated on the bespoke track ‘CHECKMATE’, which will debut in Madden NFL 23 around NFL Kickoff. The game will also feature superstar collabs like Pusha T ft. Lil Uzi Vert & Don Toliver, Snoop Dogg ft. Nas and Ty Dolla $ign ft. Wiz Khalifa; Joey Bada$$, Nas, and Kendrick Lamar; and newcomers like L.A. rapper/producer Malachiii, Japanese DJ and BAPE creator Nigo (with Tyler The Creator), and 2022 XXL Freshman Class female MC Doechii. More than a third of the soundtrack will debut new or exclusive music from artists, including Big K.R.I.T., King Green, Gizzle ft. BRE-Z, Symba, Erica Banks, Lord Afrixana, Marqus Clae, and Simon Said. & Jazzfeezy, among others.
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| Top Women in Media
Join us for a magical evening of fun and celebrations!
Cynopsis Media is proud to be hosting the annual Top Women in Media Awards, a ceremony that brings together and honors all of the best senior-level women in the categories of entertainment, tech, and sports. Tables are still available but filling up fast, so register now and mark your calendars for October 11th- it’s a night you won’t want to miss!
REGISTER TODAY
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TRIVIA
On what planet was Lando Calrissian living in Empire Strikes Back? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: What animal did you ride in the classic 80s video game Joust? Answer: Ostrich. Kudos: Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NY; Rob Casalaina- ITN/NY; Barbara Capella Loehr-Equal Opportunity Publications/Melville; Jay Melamed/Raleigh; Patrick McOwen-Effectv/Horsham; Rick Dascher-WarnerMedia Studios/Atlanta; Creed Heilskov-ImOn Communications/Cedar Rapids; Jason Morrow-Toyota/Houston; Frank O’Toole/St. Louis; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank
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SPECIALIST, AFFLIATE OPERATIONS
MLB NETWORK
SECAUCUS NJ
Spearhead affiliate technical/operational efforts (including but not limited to: launch authorizations, blackout implementation, VOD and TV Everywhere) for MLB Network and NHL Network with traditional and virtual MVPDs worldwide. Full info HERE (9/17)
DIRECTOR OF POST PRODUCTION >>
PART2 PICTURES/NY: Responsible for the organization and optimization of all post-production projects. Ensure consistent workflows and best practices are being used across the entire production process. This position will oversee all projects from development to final delivery. Full info HERE (9/17)
AD SALES RESEARCH MANAGER
TENNIS CHANNEL/SINCLAIR SPORTS GROUP
NYC
Support linear and digital national ad sales efforts with PowerPoint presentations using Nielsen, comScore, YouGov, MRI & Ipsos. Oversee submission of linear line ups for Tennis Channel. Create and update tracking reports on sports landscape. 3+ years’ experience with Nielsen national applications. Full info HERE (8/26)
DIRECTOR, AD SALES >>
REELZ, NY: Mentor and manage the day-to-day direction of account executives in New York. Manage & develop relationships in marketplace. Collaborate with VP, Ad Sales regarding strategy and development of new business. Negotiate and close upfront & scatter deals. 10+ yrs of advertising sales exp. in a broadcast or cable network environment. Full info HERE (8/26)
DIRECTOR, PUBLIC PROGRAMMING >>
THE PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA/NYC: Collaborate w/the Programming & Curatorial teams to develop & book unique & influential talent, programs, educational workshops, membership events, exhibits & experiences. Align programming with institutional priorities in TV & produce immersive & interactive tentpole exhibits to ensure that there are engaging offerings year-round. 8+ yrs exp. req. Full info HERE (8/26)
TELEVISION & CROSS PLATFORM RESEARCH DIRECTOR
TENNIS CHANNEL
SANTA MONICA
This highly visible role provides quantitative and qualitative research to all departments; includes research oversight of Tennis Channel, Tennis Channel International, Tennis.com, TennisChannel.com, Tennis Channel Plus OTT, TC app and Tennis Magazine. Expert level proficiency with Nielsen data systems, including NPower is required. Full info HERE (8/25)
COUNSEL, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS
MLB NETWORK
SECAUCUS NJ
Draft and/or negotiate a wide variety of agreements, assist with counseling various departments on transactional and legal matters. Oversee administration and compliance with of standards and practices for day-to-day production. A minimum of two years of legal experience in a media and/or entertainment transactional environment, required. Full info HERE (8/25)
DIRECTOR OR VICE PRESIDENT OF CHILDREN’S TELEVISION
THE JIM HENSON COMPANY
HOLLYWOOD
Work closely w/the President of Television to strategize building new Jim Henson Company IP. Generate new business by performing outreach, networking, and scheduling meetings w/key players in the industry. Track network mandates, industry trends, and talent/IP to inform development strategy & planning. Min of 5 yrs of exp. working in Children’s TV. Full info HERE (8/25)
THE DIRECTOR OF SALES
CIRCLE MEDIA
REMOTE (PREFER CHICAGO BASED)
Responsible for selling general advertising of our Linear network for year over year growth of our advertising sales projections. Source, create, and maintain relationships, as well as execute contracts for our Linear/Cable/VOD networks. Use of qualitative sales packaging and the drive to meet/exceed sales goals is a top priority. Full info HERE (8/24)
LOCAL SALES MANAGER >>
COX MEDIA/OMAHA NE: Overseeing all sales activities, create a high-performing, fun, and successful team-based environment. Attract, hire, and develop new sales consultants and provide training for your team to be successful and exceed their goals. 2+ yrs exp. leading a team of 5 or more people, 3-5 yrs of sales exp. in the media, cable, or digital advertising. Full info HERE (8/24)
MANAGER, COMMERCIAL CLEARANCE
A+E NETWORKS
NYC or Remote
Help ensure advertisements are compliant with A+E’s policies and federal guidelines. Review scripts, storyboards, animatics, rough and final cuts across a variety of content, with a focus on high-risk commercial categories. Serve as point person on projects with S&P to review live, scripted, and unscripted programming. 5+ yrs experience. Full info HERE (8/24)
VP, CONTENT AND PRODUCTION COUNSEL
A+E NETWORKS
NYC or Remote
Provide legal counsel in the areas of pre-broadcast/pre-publication review; Intellectual Property; First Amendment; causes of action common in entertainment and media industry cases. 7-10 years of relevant law firm experience or experience in media company legal department; in-house media law practice highly desirable. Full info HERE (8/24)
MANAGER, PUBLICITY & SOCIAL CONTENT COMMUNITY
GAME SHOW NETWORK
SANTA MONICA
5+ yrs exp. Manage promotional campaigns. Identifying/developing creative news angles to publicize programming in press. Partner w/ VP as a unit publicist & social lead, including traveling to sets of shows to manage media interviews. Spearhead/coord. talent press trips, set visits, photo shoots, press tours, satellite media tours, etc. Full info HERE (8/23)
AFFILIATE RELATIONS DIRECTOR, SYNDICATION >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC: Serve as the primary contact with our broadcast television station partners, represent clients and outside vendors; including coordination of contracts and agreements, as well as provision all needed information and communication for the Syndication department. Great opportunity for programming, promotion, marketing or PR background. Full info HERE (8/23)
SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
FETV
NYC
Develop sales strategies for new business development to advertising agencies & clients. Research emerging businesses to build a pipeline of potential new clients. Cultivate client relationships to enhance FETV’s position in the marketplace. Negotiate & close upfront & scatter business. 5+ yrs of television selling or related advertising sales exp. Full info HERE (8/23)
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| OTHER JOBS OF INTEREST
Work with game designers to transform design ideas into engineering solutions.
Lead Game Developer
Kabam
Remote
https://kabam.com/careers/
Develop, construct, test, and maintain architectures within the scope of Data Engineering.
Senior Data Engineer
Kabam
Remote
https://kabam.com/careers/
Deploy, evaluate performance, optimize and test UI software on PC and console platforms.
Senior UI Engineer
Infinity Ward
Remote
https://careers.infinityward.com/
This role entails working with a large cross-functional team to provide innovative, engaging experiences for our players.
Senior Director of Product
Scopely
Remote
https://scopely.com/join-us/
Facilitate intra and inter team communication, ensuring timely dissemination of information.
Lead Producer
Scopely
Remote
https://scopely.com/join-us/
Communicate game system concepts, implementation processes, risks, and interactions.
Systems Game Designer
Niantic
Seattle WA
https://careers.nianticlabs.com/
Perform load testing, participate in code reviews, write unit tests, and conduct troubleshooting to ensure uptime for live systems
Software Engineer – Server/Backend
Niantic
Bellevue WA
https://careers.nianticlabs.com/
Provide accurate and timely project management information to all stakeholders to inform decision making.
Senior Producer
Infinity Ward
Woodland Hills CA
https://careers.infinityward.com/
Take ownership of projects and work with large-scale data processing systems.
Senior Software Engineer, Platform
Machine Zone
Palo Alto CA
https://www.mz.com/careers/
Work side-by-side with our real time bidding engineering, big data engineering, machine learning and UI teams.
Senior Software Engineer, Marketing Platform Stability Engineering
Machine Zone
Palo Alto CA
https://www.mz.com/careers/
Working with the design team to create gameplay that creates fun and interesting levels.
Senior Software Engineer Unity/C#
Jam City
Carlsbad CA
https://www.jamcity.com/job-openings/
Responsible for collaboratively developing the production pipeline to ensure efficient asset creation and delivery, and a streamlined process for artists and engineers.
Lead Technical Artist (HP Hogwarts Mystery)
Jam City
San Francisco CA
https://www.jamcity.com/job-openings/
Identify new business opportunities and prepare sales strategies and proposals.
Business Development Manager, eSports
Capcom
San Francisco CA
https://jobs.jobvite.com/capcomusa
Build and execute effective Go to Market campaigns in coordination with the Senior Marketing Manager.
Marketing Manager
Square Enix
El Segundo CA
https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/careers
Manage products through their entire lifecycle from early design and planning phase through post-launch.
Manager, Product Marketing
Square Enix
Los Angeles CA
https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/careers
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