Bell has acquired a minority interest in global esports entertainment company OverActive Media (OAM) and signed on as the organization’s first founding marketing partner.
Headquartered in Toronto, OAM delivers esports and video game entertainment that combines team ownership with audience engagement, connecting with fans, franchise partners and corporate sponsors around the world. OAM owns a total of 15 esports teams in seven countries, including the Toronto Defiant of the Overwatch League – a League of Legends European Championship series franchise, and recently won the rights to a Toronto-based Call of Duty League franchise, making it the only esports organization to own teams in the three biggest franchised leagues. OAM also recently acquired Rochester, New York’s Splyce Inc., which operates regional teams in other esports, including Rocket League, Smite and Starcraft II.
OAM has grown rapidly since last fall, acquiring Toronto-based esports-specific live events company MediaXP, and launching an OAM Live division. It’s also expanding its footprint into Spain and Latin America with the acquisition of Spanish esports organization Mad Lions EC. Grammy Award-winning artist Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye joined the company’s ownership group in April. OAM’s latest round of equity funding in January, raised over $22 million.
The wide-ranging, multi-year agreement designates Bell as OAM’s exclusive telecommunications partner and includes team sponsorship, content integration, event production, experiential activations and both traditional and online advertising. The strategic partnership includes all current Bell brands and subsidiaries, and provides Bell access to all current and future OAM Canadian-based franchises.
“We are building an industry-leading esports organization and redefining the sport and entertainment ecosystem. In those efforts, we have been mindful and purposeful in aligning ourselves with premium brands and today we are doing just that,” said Chris Overholt, President and CEO of OAM.
“Bell is excited to invest in OAM to further our support of Canada’s rapidly growing esports community,” said Wade Oosterman, Bell’s Vice Chair and Group President. “With Canada’s best mobile network and an all-fibre network offering the fastest home Internet speeds and lowest latency, Bell looks forward to continuing to provide the best gaming experience as we expand the reach of professional esports to new audiences.”
Financial terms of the partnership agreement were not disclosed.
Subscribe Now – Free!
Broadcast Dialogue has been required reading in the Canadian broadcast media for 25 years. When you subscribe, you join a community of connected professionals from media and broadcast related sectors from across the country.
The Weekly Briefing from Broadcast Dialogue is delivered exclusively to subscribers by email every Thursday. It’s your link to critical industry news, timely people moves, and excellent career advancement opportunities.
Let’s get started right now.
