SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.
