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SG Esports and PickStar join forces in one of a kind talent activation partnership

@seancallanan

SG Esports has partnered leading sports talent marketplace PickStar to activate emerging esports stars in the Australian market.

SG Esports is the owner of professional esports team Gravitas, the newest team to the top-tier Oceanic Pro League (OPL).

PickStar is an online platform that allows brands, marketing agencies, organisations and fans to choose from 1200+ elite athletes and sports personalities for marketing campaigns, events and fan experiences.

In a first for the esports industry, SG Esports and PickStar have developed an esports talent strategy to develop the personal brands of Gravitas professional players, whilst also growing commercial relationships and opportunities.

“Esports is an exciting new space. Fans are extremely passionate and loyal, and I'm looking forward to working with PickStar to help brands understand the opportunities with both professional teams and players. Esports can help brands connect with fans online and via live event activations, providing a gateway to a largely inaccessible demographic,” Sports Geek & SG Esports founder Sean Callanan said.

SG Esports talent are now available to book for events and marketing exclusively through the PickStar platform and PickStar will also be working directly with brands and marketing agencies to cultivate esports talent partnerships.

“We are excited to help build this rapidly growing esports market and work with the athletes to build their brands, create commercial relationships and find their place in sports marketing,” PickStar head of marketing Andrew Montesi said.

“The partnership helps us continue to innovate the world of athlete marketing, and with a wide range of clients and over 1200 talent across just about all sports on the PickStar platform, we look forward to sharing our unique learnings and insights with esports talent.

“We can see exciting opportunities not only for marketers but also gaming fans, who can create their own unique experiences, events and access coaching.”

The OPL, owned by Riot Games, is a top-tier professional League of Legends competition offering a direct path to the world championships which was watched by 200 million people in 2018.

While the Australian esports industry is still in its infancy, already there are 1.5 million ‘fanatics’, predominantly comprising the lucrative 18 to 34 male demographic.

“Esports offers partners a rare opportunity to connect with an audience that isn't engaged on traditional platforms, our goal through this partnership is to grow the accessibility to this market. Our players at Gravitas will benefit, as will all OPL players and esports talent,” Callanan said.

Key statistics

Esports is the fastest growing sport category in the world. It is also gathering momentum to be included in the Olympics by 2024.

According to Newzoo, the number of esports enthusiasts worldwide will reach 201 million in 2019, which translates to year-over-year growth of 15%. In Australia alone, over 1.7 million people are watching esports related content on Twitch every year.

Esports revenues will grow 27% in 2019, to $1.1 billion, and reach $1.65 billion by 2021. Although esports is still an emerging sport in Australia, the potential upswing following the American and European markets is inevitable.

Book Gravitas team for your next event or activation on Pickstar

CLICK HERE TO BOOK AN ESPORTS CAMPAIGN ON PICKSTAR

About SG Esports

SG Esports was founded in 2018 by Sean Callanan, following the successful acquisition of a team position in the Oceanic Pro League (OPL), from which Gravitas was born. Sean has successfully operated the business Sports Geek, a sports digital agency that offers expertise in sports technology and digital sports marketing, for the past 10 years. Sean’s interest in all things sport naturally extended into the esports space when he recognised the similarities in fans across esports and traditional sports.

SG Esports is an esports business that provides esports consulting alongside owning professional esports teams.

To follow Gravitas each week go to Gravitas.gg

About PickStar

Founded by former AFL footballers James Begley and Matthew Pavlich, PickStar is Australia’s largest marketplace to book sports stars for marketing campaigns, events and experiences. Australia’s leading brands as well as clubs, schools and fans use PickStar’s innovative platform to connect with 1200+ elite athletes and sports personalities for commercial opportunities.

Visit Pickstar at Pickstar.com.au

For more information contact PickStar head of marketing Andrew Montesi on 0422 163 430.

For more information about esports industry and sponsorship options with Gravitas contact Sean Callanan on 0407 047 200.

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