The World Health Organization is One of the Top Gaming Catalysts in 2020 April 21, 2020 - Baystreet.ca Video games have experienced sizable growth in recent weeks. In part, that’s because U.S. states have issued “stay at home” orders to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. “Videogames could see increased engagement as folks fight off cabin fever. Online gaming often includes voice chat, a way friends can keep in touch and hang out virtually amid self-quarantines. Plus, as Americans avoid vacations, dining out and attending events, they will have more money to spend on videogames and their digital add-ons,” says Cowen analyst Doug Creutz, as quoted by Barron’s. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also encouraging gaming. “We’re at a crucial moment in defining outcomes of this pandemic. Games industry companies have a global audience - we encourage all to #PlayApartTogether. More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives,” tweeted Ray Chambers, U.S. ambassador to WHO. Zynga is one of the top companies behind the WHO initiative. Some of the top companies thriving on the esports boom include Media Central Corporation (CSE:FLYY), Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS), and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA). Media Central Corporation (CSE:FLYY) BREAKING NEWS: Media Central Corporation Inc. announces the beta-launch of its newest platform, ECentralSports.com. ECentralSports will be a dynamic digital destination for eGaming and eSports fans in search of the latest in news, information and culture. Leveraging NOW Magazine and Georgia Straight (“the Straight), the Company’s central publications, ECentralSports will enter the market with access to 6.5 million of the most coveted consumers and the support of award-winning editors, writers and directors. ECentralSports will tap into a global market with extensive reach. In its fall 2019 global games market report, Newzoo estimated the current Gaming market to be US$148.8 billion. They also reported that eSports alone reached 454M viewers worldwide in 2019 with growth projected to 645M by 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Gaming to experience exponential growth. People are at home with no live-action sports to engage with and are increasingly turning to Gaming for entertainment. An April 2020 article in AdWeek stated: “gaming has exploded like never before [and has] become the new social currency and a cultural force.” According to the same article, the telecoms giant Verizon released information demonstrating U.S. video game usage during peak hours has increased by 75 per cent since the global lock-down first went into effect, and that Gaming as an industry is larger than the NFL, NBA, MLB and the NHL combined. The explosive industry has already garnered the attention of top brands, with Louis Vuitton, Nike, Coca-Cola and BMW all sponsoring eSports tournaments. The financial community has also taken notice of the global Gaming phenomenon. In April 2019, Deloitte released a report on eSports financing that indicated US$4.5B was invested in the industry in 2018 alone. High profile investments have also targeted the disruptive industry such as the recently announced investment into FaZe Clan, a leading eSports organization, by the iconic entertainment entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine (Chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M; co-founder of Beats Electronics). “We are absolutely thrilled to announce the beta-launch of our Gaming publication, ECentralSports.com. The audience psychographics of eSports and gaming enthusiasts directly aligns with our existing audience of 6.5 million market and cultural pace setters,” said Brian Kalish, CEO of MediaCentral. “ECentralSports will acquire and scale traffic by leveraging readership from our current high-performing titles, opening up immediate opportunities to monetize the new channel through an integrated editorial, display advertising, affiliate marketing and omnichannel sponsored content strategy, designed to benefit our advertising partners.” MediaCentral has already begun testing Esports content on both NOW and the Straight with positive traction. The data shows a 37 per cent increase of users’ session length on eSports content, a 10.5 per cent improved click-through on newsletters containing eSports content and 8.5 per cent above average pageviews for eSports content. This illustrates the existence of a fanbase who will readily covert to ECentralSports.com once launched. The integration of content between NOW and the Straight will continue when ECentralSports.com is live, providing further opportunity for organic audience growth. ECentralSports is the second original digital platform from MediaCentral, following the 2019 fall launch of Canncentral.com, a digital cannabis lifestyle publication. This marks the continuation of the company’s planned strategy to produce and acquire existing high-quality publications across North America to consolidate, digitize and monetize an audience of over 100 million of North America’s most influential readers. MediaCentral will provide these coveted readers with access to on-trend, relevant and authentic news and content across all its titles. ECentralSports is slated to go live in May 2020. Other related developments from around the markets include: Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) intends to release its first quarter 2020 results after the close of the market on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. In conjunction with this release, Activision Blizzard will host a conference call that will be broadcast over the internet: Tuesday, May 5, 2020, 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time). Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and the Georgia Institute of Technology announced that they have been selected to lead a Guaranteeing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robustness against Deception (GARD) program team for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Intel is the prime contractor in this four-year, multimillion-dollar joint effort to improve cybersecurity defenses against deception attacks on machine learning (ML) models. Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) Board of Directors today announced a semi-annual cash dividend of $0.88 per share, payable January 10, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 10, 2018. The Company last paid a semi-annual dividend of $0.84 per share in July. “Given our record financial performance in fiscal 2018, we are pleased to increase our dividend to shareholders, while continuing to invest for future growth with our pending acquisition of 21st Century Fox and the ongoing development of our direct-to-consumer business,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “This payment brings our total dividends for the fiscal year to $1.72 a share.” Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and Respawn Entertainment announced that the Finals of the Apex Legends Global Series Online Tournaments (OT) #5 and #6, are both moving up one day earlier. The tournaments will now be held May 2-3 and May 30-31 respectively, in order to better fit competitors’ schedules and those able to watch online. The next event, OT #4, will occur as planned this Saturday, April 18 and end on Monday, April 20, with the competition being broadcast on the Apex Legends Twitch and YouTube channels. Legal Disclaimer / Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Winning Media which has a partnership with WallStreetNation.com is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Winning Media, which has a partnership with WallStreetNation.com, is only compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation. Pursuant to an agreement between Winning Media (partners of WallStreetNation.com) and Media Central Corporation, Winning Media has been paid three thousand five hundred dollars for advertising and marketing services for Media Central Corporation. We own ZERO shares of Media Central Corporation. Please click here for full disclaimer. Contact Information: 2818047972 ty@wallstreetnation.com
The World Health Organization is One of the Top Gaming Catalysts in 2020 April 21, 2020 - Baystreet.ca Video games have experienced sizable growth in recent weeks. In part, that’s because U.S. states have issued “stay at home” orders to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. “Videogames could see increased engagement as folks fight off cabin fever. Online gaming often includes voice chat, a way friends can keep in touch and hang out virtually amid self-quarantines. Plus, as Americans avoid vacations, dining out and attending events, they will have more money to spend on videogames and their digital add-ons,” says Cowen analyst Doug Creutz, as quoted by Barron’s. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also encouraging gaming. “We’re at a crucial moment in defining outcomes of this pandemic. Games industry companies have a global audience - we encourage all to #PlayApartTogether. More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives,” tweeted Ray Chambers, U.S. ambassador to WHO. Zynga is one of the top companies behind the WHO initiative. Some of the top companies thriving on the esports boom include Media Central Corporation (CSE:FLYY), Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS), and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA). Media Central Corporation (CSE:FLYY) BREAKING NEWS: Media Central Corporation Inc. announces the beta-launch of its newest platform, ECentralSports.com. ECentralSports will be a dynamic digital destination for eGaming and eSports fans in search of the latest in news, information and culture. Leveraging NOW Magazine and Georgia Straight (“the Straight), the Company’s central publications, ECentralSports will enter the market with access to 6.5 million of the most coveted consumers and the support of award-winning editors, writers and directors. ECentralSports will tap into a global market with extensive reach. In its fall 2019 global games market report, Newzoo estimated the current Gaming market to be US$148.8 billion. They also reported that eSports alone reached 454M viewers worldwide in 2019 with growth projected to 645M by 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Gaming to experience exponential growth. People are at home with no live-action sports to engage with and are increasingly turning to Gaming for entertainment. An April 2020 article in AdWeek stated: “gaming has exploded like never before [and has] become the new social currency and a cultural force.” According to the same article, the telecoms giant Verizon released information demonstrating U.S. video game usage during peak hours has increased by 75 per cent since the global lock-down first went into effect, and that Gaming as an industry is larger than the NFL, NBA, MLB and the NHL combined. The explosive industry has already garnered the attention of top brands, with Louis Vuitton, Nike, Coca-Cola and BMW all sponsoring eSports tournaments. The financial community has also taken notice of the global Gaming phenomenon. In April 2019, Deloitte released a report on eSports financing that indicated US$4.5B was invested in the industry in 2018 alone. High profile investments have also targeted the disruptive industry such as the recently announced investment into FaZe Clan, a leading eSports organization, by the iconic entertainment entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine (Chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M; co-founder of Beats Electronics). “We are absolutely thrilled to announce the beta-launch of our Gaming publication, ECentralSports.com. The audience psychographics of eSports and gaming enthusiasts directly aligns with our existing audience of 6.5 million market and cultural pace setters,” said Brian Kalish, CEO of MediaCentral. “ECentralSports will acquire and scale traffic by leveraging readership from our current high-performing titles, opening up immediate opportunities to monetize the new channel through an integrated editorial, display advertising, affiliate marketing and omnichannel sponsored content strategy, designed to benefit our advertising partners.” MediaCentral has already begun testing Esports content on both NOW and the Straight with positive traction. The data shows a 37 per cent increase of users’ session length on eSports content, a 10.5 per cent improved click-through on newsletters containing eSports content and 8.5 per cent above average pageviews for eSports content. This illustrates the existence of a fanbase who will readily covert to ECentralSports.com once launched. The integration of content between NOW and the Straight will continue when ECentralSports.com is live, providing further opportunity for organic audience growth. ECentralSports is the second original digital platform from MediaCentral, following the 2019 fall launch of Canncentral.com, a digital cannabis lifestyle publication. This marks the continuation of the company’s planned strategy to produce and acquire existing high-quality publications across North America to consolidate, digitize and monetize an audience of over 100 million of North America’s most influential readers. MediaCentral will provide these coveted readers with access to on-trend, relevant and authentic news and content across all its titles. ECentralSports is slated to go live in May 2020. Other related developments from around the markets include: Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) intends to release its first quarter 2020 results after the close of the market on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. In conjunction with this release, Activision Blizzard will host a conference call that will be broadcast over the internet: Tuesday, May 5, 2020, 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time). Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and the Georgia Institute of Technology announced that they have been selected to lead a Guaranteeing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robustness against Deception (GARD) program team for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Intel is the prime contractor in this four-year, multimillion-dollar joint effort to improve cybersecurity defenses against deception attacks on machine learning (ML) models. Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) Board of Directors today announced a semi-annual cash dividend of $0.88 per share, payable January 10, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 10, 2018. The Company last paid a semi-annual dividend of $0.84 per share in July. “Given our record financial performance in fiscal 2018, we are pleased to increase our dividend to shareholders, while continuing to invest for future growth with our pending acquisition of 21st Century Fox and the ongoing development of our direct-to-consumer business,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “This payment brings our total dividends for the fiscal year to $1.72 a share.” Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and Respawn Entertainment announced that the Finals of the Apex Legends Global Series Online Tournaments (OT) #5 and #6, are both moving up one day earlier. The tournaments will now be held May 2-3 and May 30-31 respectively, in order to better fit competitors’ schedules and those able to watch online. The next event, OT #4, will occur as planned this Saturday, April 18 and end on Monday, April 20, with the competition being broadcast on the Apex Legends Twitch and YouTube channels. Legal Disclaimer / Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Winning Media which has a partnership with WallStreetNation.com is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Winning Media, which has a partnership with WallStreetNation.com, is only compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation. Pursuant to an agreement between Winning Media (partners of WallStreetNation.com) and Media Central Corporation, Winning Media has been paid three thousand five hundred dollars for advertising and marketing services for Media Central Corporation. We own ZERO shares of Media Central Corporation. Please click here for full disclaimer. Contact Information: 2818047972 ty@wallstreetnation.com