MeteoHeroes and Real Madrid join forces for summer workshops

Mondo TV Studios, part of Mondo TV Group, one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content, has announced that the popular video game based on award-winning hit kids’ animation MeteoHeroes – a series co-produced by Mondo TV S.p.A and Meteo Expert – will be playing a leading role in the kids’ summer camp taking place at Real Madrid City, the world-famous football team’s training complex.

The aim of the Campus Experience Football and Responsible Gaming camp is to offer a unique experience that encompasses football training, gaming activities and the encouragement of positive values. With this in mind, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has announced a programme of PlayStation Talents activities at the event, which will open its doors to thousands of girls and boys from all over the world from 3–15 July 2022.

The Responsible Football and Gaming programme is an opportunity the Real Madrid Foundation offers boys and girls aged 9 to 12 to combine their two passions – football and gaming – in a responsible way and with a strong educational component.

PlayStation Talents is playing an important role in the programme with activities centred on various PlayStation titles including MeteoHeroes – Saving Planet Earth.

These activities will include entertaining and informative sessions and activities incorporating an environmental theme. They will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 July to 16 July and will accompany the training programme prepared by The Global Esports Academy, a benchmark esports academy in Spain.

This year the show has arrived in multiple Latin American and Portuguese-speaking markets and, thanks to the exclusive partnership of the show’s co-producers with mega hit-maker Kenn Viselman (Teletubbies, Thomas the Tank Engine), also made its broadcast debut on PBS in the US with an Earth Day Special. As a result of a deal struck between Viselman and Adventure 2 Learning, MeteoHeroes will debut in 30,000 schools across America this autumn, impacting as many as 15 million children.The first series of MeteoHeroes is now available in over 20 languages and has been sold into or confirmed in over 145 countries. Starting in April, the second season of MeteoHeroes (52 episodes x 13′) had its world premiere on Cartoonito in Italy, where season one is already among the most successful Cartoonito children’s series. MeteoHeroes has enjoyed similar success in Spain on Clan.

The MeteoHeroes videogame, like the TV show, builds on the unique value proposition of the MeteoHeroes brand, one that combines an important and valuable message about climate and environmental issues, and ways to protect the planet, with fun and entertainment.

MeteoHeroes – Saving Planet Earth invites children of all ages to join the much-loved characters from the popular environmentally themed TV series in a fun action platform game. There are enemies to escape from, fast-moving adventures and multiple locations on all the world’s continents, where players have to find hidden items on the screen that will help them rid each city of pollution and decay.

The MeteoHeroes videogame has been available worldwide on PlayStation and PC (STEAM platform) from 28 February. It is expected to start launching in retail stores in autumn 2022. Release dates and territories will be confirmed later this year.

The video game is a co-production between Sony Interactive Entertainment España (SIE España), development partner Gammera Nest and Mondo TV Studios. It can also boast the support of PlayStation Talents in its area of PlayStation Alliances, the company’s programme that promotes the development of video games in Spain. Worldwide publishing is managed by PlayStation Talents, as well as communication, promotion and launch activities. North American distribution and marketing for the game is managed in partnership with The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company, from producer Kenn Viselman.

MeteoHeroes is the only cartoon in the world dedicated entirely to climate and environmental issues. Each episode focuses on issues related to ecology and respect for nature through the adventures of six superpowered kids who can control weather phenomena.

Maria Bonaria Fois, CEO of Mondo TV Studios, says: This is an important opportunity for MeteoHeroes, both to let children known more about an excellent video game based on their favourite TV series and to highlight the message of the show about caring for the planet. We are delighted to be working with Sony and Real Madrid at this important and timely event.”

 

GTRACING inks gaming chair deal with Man City

Football club Manchester City has teamed up with one of the leading brands of gaming chairs, GTRACING .

The partnership will see GTRACING become the Official Gaming Chair Partner of Manchester City’s esports operation and players.

Founded in 2011, GTRACING specialises in producing ergonomically designed gaming chairs that offer support and comfort to gamers all over the world, allowing them to reach their full playing potential.

Manchester City’s esports players and GTRACING will collaborate on various content and fan engagement activations throughout the partnership, in addition to the brand featuring across a number of Club digital assets. The parties will also release a line of co-branded gaming chairs.

Gavin Johnson, City Football Group’s Media Director, says: “We’re delighted to welcome GTRACING as a partner of Manchester City Football Club’s Esports team today. As a Club, we are dedicated to providing authentic esports experiences for our fans and I am pleased that GTRACING will be joining us on this journey as we continue to find new ways to engage with our fans within this space.”

“The integration of traditional sports and esports is the inevitable development of the times, and it is also the core growth project of GTRACING,” says GTRACING founder Aaron Wu. “We are very glad to be able to provide fans with a unique competitive experience through this innovative partnership with Manchester City. Gaming chairs are very important to the esports experience. GTRACING will be committed to focusing on optimising product innovation to fully meet user needs.”

 

Sanrio partners with Player 2 to grow licensing revenue in the global gaming market

Gaming and esports marketing agency Player 2 and global lifestyle brand Sanrio have announced a partnership that will see the two collaborating to grow gaming-related licensing partnerships for its Hello Kitty and Sanrio characters (including Aggretsuko and Gudetama) across the EMEA, India and Oceania regions. Player 2’s work will also include global gaming-related partnerships for Sanrio’s iconic Mister Men Little Miss characters.

Player 2 will lead the efforts to develop specific in-game collaboration programmes that bring awareness of the Sanrio characters to young consumers, while expanding its gaming-related product offerings across in-game activations, peripherals, merchandise collaborations and esports.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to further introduce Hello Kitty and friends along with the Mister Men Little Miss characters to gaming audiences,” says John Pierce, Player 2 Managing Partner. “We look forward to collaborating with the Sanrio team to create intriguing and relevant gaming-related partnerships.”

“Sanrio has been creating smiles for over 50 years,” says Silvia Figini, Chief Operating Officer, Sanrio – EMEA, India and Oceania, Mr. Men – Worldwide. “We’re excited to partner with Player 2 to bring the values, optimism and smiles of our iconic characters to gaming enthusiasts everywhere.”

Sanrio, best known for Hello Kitty who was created in 1974, is home to many other beloved character brands such as My Melody, LittleTwinStars, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Gudetama, Aggretsuko, Chococat, Bad Badtz-Maru, Kerokerokeroppi and the British icons Mr Men & Little Miss. Sanrio boasts an extensive product lineup of around 50,000 products, which are available in over 130 countries and regions around the world.

Full throttle for Formula One as its kids’ fan engagement outpaces football, says The Insights Family

More children are tuning in to the Formula One brand than ever before, with numbers rising by 2.85 million in key European markets alone, and outpacing the growth rate of fans flocking to football, new research from The Insights Family has revealed.

The global motorsport brand has witnessed a 17 per cent year on year increase, from 17.3 million to 20.1 million, representing a faster growth rate than football, which, according to the company, only grew by six per cent.

Finding from a recent study commissioned by Formula One will now go on to help shape the brand’s approach in engaging with the generation of fans as it continues to build on a digital infrastructure it has created since Liberty Media took over back in 2017.

Working with The Insights Family, F1 ran a combination of qualitative and quantitative research across seven markets with a total sample size of 162,774 kids aged 12-18 with the objective of understanding what the ‘fan of the future’ looks like. Key findings from the research uncovered a varying shift in interests of the younger generation.

These findings include that:

  • Generation Z now has a greater level of interest in esports than traditional sports.
  • Instagram and TikTok are where young people are consuming content now, rather than Twitter and Facebook.
  • Content on the official F1 social media channels was very well received by the group.
  • Having behind the scenes access helps them understand more about the sports participants and their back stories. Those interested in the engineering and innovation of F1 cars are particularly attracted to documentaries too.
  • ‘Drive To Survive’ viewers tended to enjoy it thoroughly and valued the additional insight it gave them.
  • There was strong interest in hearing about the history of F1, including the evolution of the cars and icons of the sport.
  • Interest in engineering and technology was more often spoken about as an entry point than races themselves, with UK 10-18s who aspire to be an engineer being 86% more likely than average to watch F1.

Despite sport in general fiercely competing with music, video games, film and TV, technology, and fashion for the attention of the younger generation, the efforts of F1 to put its own stamp on these areas of modern culture have already reaped rewards.

F1 is currently the second fastest growing sport on social media with a year-on-year growth of 36 per cent, as fans continue to flock to the platforms for race highlights, driver content and behind the scenes clips, with Instagram and TikTok especially crucial for the 15-18 age range. YouTube also continues to be a prominent channel for young fans – an area F1 has already explored, streaming the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix free on the platform in selected markets.

“Whilst there is no surprise that the binging of TV shows is now a huge part of people’s lives, there has never been more demand for sports documentaries, recounting iconic moments or giving insight into the personal lives of sporting heroes,” says The Insights Family. “That notion was evident within these focus groups as they crave behind the scenes access and more information on the lives and back stories of the F1 drivers.

“The popularity of Emmy-nominated docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ on Netflix is undeniable as the production provides insight from the drivers at the heart of the action through dramatic storytelling. Additionally, the history and engineering of the sport also captured the attention of the participants. As part of the sport’s 70th Anniversary celebrations in 2020, F1 produced ‘Race to Perfection’ with Sky Sports detailing the innovation and pioneering nature of the sport as some of the world’s most powerful vehicles have developed over the last seven decades.”

Globally, 41 per cent of kids aged three to 18 now engage with esports, marking a 22 per cent increase year-on-year according to the report. The firm’s research also indicates that Generation Z now has a greater level of interest in esports than traditional sports, an area F1 is already strong in given the success of the F1 Esports Series events and Virtual Grands Prix, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The likes of Lando Norris, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc were the stars of the show, as the Virtual Grands Prix series achieved over 30m views across TV and digital, and the record-breaking 2020 F1 Esports Pro Series saw a 98 per cent increase on viewership from the previous year,” says The Insights Family.

Research found younger males especially are huge fans of the official F1 video games because it ‘gives them the chance to feel what it is like to be in the cockpit of the car’, as well as see the world’s most iconic race circuits at track level. Esports and gaming has been key for F1 as an entry point to fandom as the younger generation continues to become increasingly embedded in the virtual world.

Interest in engineering and technology was also a common entry point, with many of the participants expressing ‘fascination at the extraordinary innovation on show throughout the sport.’ STEM education has become an important subject for F1, and the brand notes that this ‘will continue through the reaffirmed WeRaceAsOne movement’, which was made earlier this year, as well as the upcoming Aramco F1 in Schools World Finals which took place in June.

The Insights Family data shows that teens who favour STEM subjects at school are 64 per cent more likely to be a fan of F1.

Ellie Norman, director of marketing and communications at Formula 1®, said: “We are always thinking of creative and innovative ways to engage with new audiences and showcasing the sport that hundreds of millions of fans around the world already know and love, so it’s great to see that the work we’re doing to target new and younger audiences is paying dividends.

“Through the use of social and digital platforms, we’ve been able to break down our often complex sport for the next generation of fans, as they begin their own Formula 1® journey.”

Nick Richardson, founder and CEO at The Insights Family, said: “This generation are super-informed and constantly connected. They have access at a very young age to every bit of content they could possibly want. This presents both challenges and opportunities for content creators, brands, and properties.

“The proactive approach of Formula 1®, to invest in research and develop a new generation of fan strategy is very much a best-in-class approach. The results we have seen in our Kids Insights trackers across their key markets speak for itself – it’s working.”

MDR Brand Management launches esports and interactive entertainment division, NIVO

London’s MDR Brand Management has launched a new global esports and interactive entertainment arm under the banner NIVO Management.

The standalone business will focus on player representation, as well as offer consultation to brands looking to move into the esports space. It will be headed up by Tom Murray, an Associate within the Sports Group and Esports Group at the UK law firm, Mishcon de Reya.

Murray will work closely with MDR Brand Management CEO, Daniel Avener, while NIVO clients will have access to MDR Brand Management’s global network of brands and commercial relationships.

“We are excited to build on our success in advising leading esports professionals on their legal affairs with the launch of NIVO,” said Murray. 

“Players have made it clear to us that they want their careers and commercial opportunities to be managed with the same professionalism and integrity as we approach our brand management and legal practices. We are here to deliver that.”

The new esports and interactive entertainment business will be comprised of three strategic platforms: contract negotiations, bespoke strategies to maximise brand opportunities including sponsorship and endorsement deals, and providing ‘holistic management support.’

MDR Brand Management’s Avener, said: “By managing negotiations, unlocking brand potential and opening up our global network of specialist advisors and brands, we enable players and talent to focus on what they do best.

“The launch of NIVO as a standalone division marks an important investment for MDR Brand Management in the rapidly expanding esports and interactive entertainment sector, and builds on our sustained growth over the past three years.”

MDR Brand Management currently operates in 25 locations globally and boasts recent brand partnerships for the likes of Eve Sleep, Revlon, and Paul Frank via Futurity Brands.

New high score | Roblox is outpacing broadcast TV for audience reach – Kids Insights latest

Video gaming is setting a new high score for audience reach in the battle for eyeballs among streaming platforms, YouTube, and traditional broadcast TV, suggests the latest data from Kids Insights Media Mix Compass, and now is the time for toy brands to start paying closer attention.

Here, Nick Richardson, Founder and CEO, The Insights People, and Licensing.biz’s Robert Hutchins explore the latest trends and data to be shaping the shifting media landscape.

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The videogame Roblox has outscored all broadcast TV channels in both the UK and US as the most powerful platform through which to reach young audiences, according to the latest insight from The Kids Insights Media Mix Compass

And the implications if this can’t be underestimated. In fact, compounding the popularity of the video games market, which has continued to grow significantly over the last few years, the potential for it to change the way in which businesses execute the marketing strategies for brands and retailers, is enormous.

Advertising budgets should no longer be solely – or even predominantly – focused on television. The world has changed, and video games are all too often the undervalued platforms to core audiences by marketers.

According to our latest data – sourced through a recently launched Media Mix Compass – teens now spend an average of 1 hour 25 minutes per day playing video games. That’s more time than they spend watching TV.

Generally, kids spend 62 per cent of their available time on digital activities. In the US, for example, for kids aged six to nine, Roblox has a Media Mix Score (MMS) of 128 which is higher than Nickelodeon (91), Disney Channel (80) and Cartoon Network (76). The Kids Insights Media Mix Score considers the reach, time spent and preference of 11 different media types and approximately 1,500 different channels in each region.

This past year has found parents discovering new ways to get their kids to play. With that, one of America’s top toy properties LOL Surprise is joining forces with top digital gaming platform ROBLOX – creating a relationship with the 1st Doll World of Roblox on a Global level. Through these two leaders in toy/play coming together, billions of fans can now discover a more immersive and shared gaming experience.

Toy brands are beginning to become savvy to the step change in the importance of such gaming and entertainment platforms. Just this week, international toy manufacturer, MGA Entertainment detailed plans to launch its LOL Surprise brand onto the Roblox platform.

The launch will kick-off with a ‘testing phase’ through which fans can play with and against their favourite gaming influencers as they explore the LOL/Roblox world.

Elsewhere, last week Hasbro detailed the five year extension of its current partnership with Epic Games’ Fortnite to expand on its licensing programme that includes the addition of its GI Joe character Snake Eyes into the Fortnite video game.

Meanwhile, it is equally important to note the growing importance of other new media options, including esports, which now ranks as the third most powerful media type for boys aged 10 to 12 in the UK, behind only YouTube and video games.

Esports is therefore one of the biggest opportunities for advertisers in 2021. Already one-in-ten teens in the US, UK, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and Canada use Twitch, the premiere platform in the industry for live video content. While physical sporting events were halted amidst the pandemic, the League of Legends European Championship – streamed live on Twitch – boasted the league’s highest ever viewing figures, raking in an average of 819,400 viewers for the final in April 2020.

Meanwhile, even more traditional areas, such as online chess, has witnessed huge viewer numbers over Twitch, hitting as many as 140,000 viewers at a time and helping to fuel a global resurgence in the traditional game, confirmed by the International Chess Federation, that has seen manufacturers hit new record highs for sales of chess boards.

However, marketing to kids is not a one-size-fits-all activity. In the UK, teenage girls are still tuning into Broadcast TV with ITV recording a score of 124 and Channel 4 hitting 99, making Broadcast TV the second most powerful media type with this demographic.

But streaming services and video games took a huge piece from the tasty audience pie. Each year with a growing variety of different online entertainment, the trend for kids to opt for digital platforms over the traditional ones will likely continue.

We also should keep in mind the growing influence and decision-making power of kids within the home being greater than with any other previous generation. Children have their own opinion over many other new categories, such as the purchase of a new car (which 54 per cent more kids say they influence in 2020 compared to 2019).

Although reaching this audience is more important than ever, it is increasingly difficult to do so. Growing up as digital natives, this generation have a far greater choice of what they consume and when they consume it than ever before. Therefore, kids’ attention is fragmented across a huge range of (increasingly niche) platforms, making it harder to reach a mass audience.

Brands spend just 37 per cent of their budget on non-digital spending, yet kids spend a huge 62 per cent of their time on digital, resulting in a mismatch that will cost advertisers $1.15bn in 2021.

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For more information on the Kids Insights Media Mix Compass, and to receive complimentary access to the tool and a copy of an example report please visit www.kidsinsights.com/mediamix

To learn more about the attitudes, behavior and consumption patterns of kids, parents and families, and to get freemium access to the Insights People real-time data portal, please visit: http://www.kidsinsights.com/toynews

SPREE Interactive moves to be ‘at the forefront of VR attractions industry’ through licensing

SPREE Interactive, a specialist in commercial VR attractions has signed its first, exclusive licensing partnership with VR Nerds to distribute the world’s first all-in-one mobile VR eSports experience for Tower Tag.

Tower Tag is currently the largest VR eSport game in the world, with over one million plays to date. The partnership will see the creation of a new SPREE Arena, in which up to eight players will be able to compete against each other or work as a team against a team of AI bots.

The licensing partnership is one among a suite of new updates for SPREE Interactive which in November 2020 secured a seven-digit investment of an undisclosed amount from two strategic and two financial investors. The firm will use the latest investment to expand its global operations.

Among its objectives is to tap int the growing demand of shopping centres across the US to diversify their offering as an impact of the coronavirus pandemic. With over 3 billion gamers globally by 2023, the global gaming market is estimated to reach $92.31 billion in the next six years. Meanwhile, esports revenues are estimated to reach $1.5bn by 2023.

Combined with the need for retail destinations to diversify their offering, SPREE Interactive believes there to be a lucrative future in combining all these elements.

“Covid has fueled even more demand from shopping malls which now desperately need alternate revenue streams and innovative ways to utilize the floor space especially with foot traffic fluctuating and increasing in various markets,” said Jonathan Nowak Delgado, founder and managing director, SPREE Interactive. 

SPREE’s products deliver one of the highest ROI in the industry. Operators are recouping their investment in less than six months generating additional revenue with an average of 2,500 plays per location, per month, boosting ticket sales and revenue for its enterprise clients like Family Entertainment Centers. 

Founded in 2017, formerly known as Holodeck VR, SPREE Interactive enables their clients, global entertainment retail chains, to successfully re-attract players into their locations. 

SPREE has previously billed its content strategy as ‘the Netflix of the hyper-immersive social virtual reality experiences,’ through which it will enable third-party content developers – such as VR Nerds – to develop for its open platform.

SPREE Investor, Stephan Berendsen, founder and managing director of the Germany-based firm, Berendsen Holding GmbH said: “Having sold my own company to Disney 15 years ago, I know what it takes for a company to become attractively scalable and profitable – and SPREE has the potential for both.”

SPREE’s founder and managing director Jonathan Nowak Delgado, concluded: “In order to continue to be on the forefront of the VR attractions industry, we will continue to build upon proprietary, patented sensor fusion technology, strategic partnerships and cutting edge content distribution platform as we plan our Series A round later this year.”

British headwear firm Tokyo Time signs collaboration deal with Misfits Gaming

Misfits Gaming Group has signed a multi-year deal with the British premium headwear brand, Tokyo Time, to become the official headwear provider of Misfits Gaming. Under the partnership, Tokyo Time will produce licensed Misfits Gaming headwear, as well as collaborate on co-branded items.

A creator of Japanese-inspired headwear, Tokyo Time launched digitally in 2018 and has continued to expand its reach through traditional sports partnerships, including with the British Basketball League, 24h Le Mans, and Prema. The latest partnership will be the company’s first collaboration on the esports industry.

“We’re excited to partner with an exciting new brand to create new products for our fans and players,” said Vas Roberts, VP, partnerships at Misfits Gaming Group. “Tokyo Time have partnered with exciting traditional sports leagues and we’re proud to be their first partner in esports.”

Paul Davison, CEO of Tokyo Time, added: “Tokyo Time is absolutely thrilled to partner up with exciting Esports team Misfits Gaming. We are looking forward to producing some exciting collaborations that will excite fans over the next few years.”

IMG named exclusive global licensing agent for video gaming’s smash hit Rocket League

IMG has been appointed as the exclusive global licensing representative for the popular Rocket League video game franchise. The move was made by the franchise owner, Psyonix in a partnership announced this week.

Billed as a ‘high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem’, with easy-to-understand controls and ‘fluid, physics-driven competition’, Rocket League has grown to become one of the most popular and recognizable video game brands worldwide. The new multi-year partnership will see IMG bring selective Rocket League consumer products to market.

It all coincides with the game’s fifth anniversary this month.

Matthew Primack, senior vice president of licensing, IMG, commented: “During a time of remarkable esports industry growth, Rocket League is one of the most popular games in the world.

“Rocket League’s combination of cars, adrenaline-fueled gameplay, competition, music and customisation gives us the perfect scope to build a creative and fun licensing programme that fans will love. We are looking forward to tapping into new territories and expanding the game’s global footprint through consumer products and collaborations.”

Categories being targeted will initially consist of apparel, toys, collectibles, accessories and innovative and creatively rich brand collaborations.

Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League is one of the most critically acclaimed sports games of all time. Annual esports events include the Rocket League Championship Series and Collegiate Rocket League.