QYOU Media, the world’s leading curator of premium ‘best-of-web’ video for multiscreen distribution, announced today it has partnered with WPT® Distribution USA to promote and distribute QYOU’s dedicated esports program Heads Up Daily (HUD). WPT, the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment, will distribute HUD as part of its global push into the televised esports genre.
WPT’s partnership with QYOU is part of parent company Ourgame’s wider strategy to expand globally into the esports market, which includes building esports arenas via another subsidiary, Allied Esports. According to analyst firm Superdata, the esports industry will be worth more than $2 billion by 2020. The genre is particularly popular among millennial and generation-Z audiences, with under-35s making up 73 percent of all global esports fans. Esports’ boom in popularity has led to broadcasters from all over the world, including BT, FOX Sports, and Super Channel, expanding into the market.
The WPT agreement follows an earlier licensing partnership with Super Channel’s GINX Esports TV Canada. Launched in 2018, HUD is the destination for all things relating to esports and video game culture. Each episode of HUD includes an exciting lineup of guests – from esports professionals to game developers to popular streamers on YouTube and Twitch – to discuss tournament recaps, esports top plays, and all of the hot topics in the world of gaming.
“Esports has made a tremendous transformation from armchair activity to serious competitive discipline,” Johnny McMahon, VP of WPT Studios & Distribution, said. “It’s a hugely exciting genre with a longterm future, which is why WPT Distribution is focusing on it as its next major format. QYOU is a great partner to help us on this quest. Curating, customizing, and packaging short-form video content for millennial audiences is deeply embedded in their DNA and they have significant expertise in the esports space. We’re excited to add Heads Up Daily to our programming slate as we make serious strides towards our goal of growing another major global TV franchise.”
Curt Marvis, CEO and Co-founder of QYOU Media, commented: “As one of the most successful brands in televised gaming and entertainment, WPT Distribution is a fantastic licensing partner for us. The fact that their move into the esports space comes with the support of Ourgame and Allied Esports makes this deal a major development for the genre and places WPT Distribution in a perfect position to build a successful global brand with Heads Up Daily. We launched HUD earlier this year because esports is generating a high level of engagement from millennial and generation-Z audiences, and that keen interest is growing fast. We’re thrilled to be working with WPT Distribution and look forward to seeing Heads Up Daily become a flagship show for their new global esports franchise.”
