SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 16, 2018--
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) today announced it is
partnering with Nielsen to measure and value esports brand investments
across the company’s multiple leagues and titles.
Nielsen Esports provides trusted data and insights to support key
stakeholders investing in the rapidly evolving world of esports.
The deal demonstrates Activision Blizzard’s commitment to its
advertisers and third-party verification. As part of the deal, Nielsen
will measure brand exposure in esports events representing a variety of
Activision Blizzard titles, event formats and geographic locations based
on the same methodology that Nielsen uses to quantify value and
benchmark performance for traditional sports rights holders and brands.
“As esports continues to mature and reach its potential as a stand-alone
business, we’re determined to lead the way and develop best practices
for brands and advertisers,” said Pete Vlastelica, CEO of Activision
Blizzard Esports Leagues. “We’re excited to partner with the most
experienced and respected measurement service in Nielsen and continue
building on our foundation of the best esports leagues in the world.”
“Esports is booming and there’s huge market potential,” said Nicole
Pike, Managing Director and Head of Nielsen Esports. “We’re thrilled to
be working closely with Activision Blizzard, who has taken initiative in
leading the market forward.”
Nielsen will begin tracking Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch League™,
Overwatch World Cup and Overwatch Contenders this year, as well as
Activision’s Call of Duty® World League, with plans to expand to other
programs in the coming year.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, is
the world's most successful standalone interactive entertainment
company. We delight hundreds of millions monthly active users around the
world through franchises including Activision's Call of Duty®, Destiny
and Skylanders®, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft®,
Overwatch®, Hearthstone®, Diablo®, StarCraft®, and Heroes of the Storm®,
and King's Candy Crush™, Pet Rescue™, Bubble Witch™ and Farm Heroes™.
The company is one of the Fortune "100 Best Companies To Work For.®"
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard has
operations throughout the world, and its games are played in 196
countries. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products
can be found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
Information in this press release that involves Activision Blizzard's
expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future,
including statements about the deal with Nielsen, are forward-looking
statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Blizzard's actual
future results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements set forth in this release include
unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk
factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on
Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The
forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information
available to Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and
Activision Blizzard does not assume any obligation to update any such
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be
true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements
are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Blizzard and
are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are
beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially
from current expectations.
© 2018 Activision Blizzard, Inc. BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, OVERWATCH,
OVERWATCH LEAGUE, and OVERWATCH CONTENDERS are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and/or
other countries. CALL OF DUTY is a registered trademark of Activision
Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties
of their respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180416005892/en/
Source: Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Overwatch League
Mark Van Lommel, 949-955-1380 x61147
MVanLommel@overwatchleague.com
or
Call
of Duty World League
Xav de Matos, 949-955-1380 x66624
xdematos@mlg.tv
or
Activision
Blizzard, Inc.
Press
pr@activisionblizzard.com