eSports
F1 ESPORTS PRO SERIES EVENT 2 LIVE THIS WEEK, FEATURING BRAND NEW CIRCUIT, & NEW F1 TRACKS TAKEOVER
TIMING DETAILS, WHERE TO WATCH INFO, AND DRIVER QUOTES FOR F1 ESPORTS PRO SERIES PRESENTED BY ARAMCO
The F1 Esports Pro Series presented by Aramco started in style last month as Alfa Romeo’s Jarno Opmeer dominated in Event 1, securing two victories, and reigning champion David Tonizza also picked up a crucial win for Ferrari, as fans were treated to three fantastic races. You can view the ‘Top 5 moments’ from Event 1 on YouTube here, and are free to embed this in editorial if you wish.
Event 2 gets underway on Wednesday afternoon with a trip to Zandvoort, a brand new circuit for the F1 Esports Pro Series, before battling out it on a fan favourite – the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Thursday’s action will see drivers go wheel to wheel at the Red Bull Ring, to round off the first half of the series.
The live shows will be streamed online via F1’s official channels on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Huya, as well as broadcast on television by international partners such as ESPN (US), Sky (UK) and Ziggo (Netherlands), whilst Qualifying show content will be streamed exclusively on Twitch, YouTube and Huya (China). For full information about the Pro Series visit: https://www.f1esports.com/
Please see the table below for the full breakdown of the platform splits so you don’t miss a moment of the action:
| Day | Session | Time (GMT) | Coverage |
| Wednesday 4 November | Qualifying Show 1 (featuring Quali. 1 highlights and Quali. 2 live) |
15:30 – 16:45 | Twitch / YouTube / Huya (China) |
| Evening Show 1 (featuring Quali. 1 and Quali. 2 highlights, Race 1 re-run and Race 2 live) |
19:30 – 21:00 | TV & Online | |
| Thursday 5 November | Qualifying Show 2 (featuring Qualifying 3 live) |
15:30 – 16:45 | Twitch / YouTube / Huya (China) |
| Evening Show 2 (featuring Quali/Race 1 and Quali/Race 2 highlights, Quali. 3 highlights and Race 3 live) |
19:30 – 21:00 | TV & Online |
Drivers competing in this year’s Pro Series have combined to build the ultimate gaming playlist for F1 Tracks, featuring songs that get them in the zone and the tunes they blast when they’ve secured a win! The playlist caters for all tastes, and features massive tracks from KAM-BU, Nothing But Thieves, You Me At Six, The Weeknd, Queen, Kings of Leon and even Elvis Presley! You can find links to the playlist below:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2YmjQL3 / Deezer: https://bit.ly/3hBqsgc / Apple: https://apple.co/3jkgArh
Ahead of the second round of races for this year’s Pro Series, we also caught up with three of the competition’s stars to get their thoughts about the upcoming season. Please feel free to use these comments in editorial around the build-up to Event 2.
Marcel Kiefer
On visiting the Red Bull Performance Centre in October
Marcel: “I’ve been to the Red Bull Performance Centre with the team. It was a really great experience, because we got to know more stuff about all the other areas that we don’t usually cover in our Esports training, like the physical activities, scheduling and how important it is to sleep and get physical exercises that can really increase your performance. It helped us a lot, and I think it already shows we’re in a good position for the season.”
Who to watch out for in terms of competitors
Marcel: “I think Alfa Romeo definitely. I mean we already knew that Alfa Romeo would be good this year. I expected Mercedes to be stronger, but maybe they will bounce back from the first event because it didn’t go that well for them. Alpha Tauri were also pretty solid. Renault looks really strong this year. I think we are in a really close season and Ferrari probably people expected them to be a bit stronger. But they also had technical difficulties during the first event, so we don’t know. I think Alfa is the big surprise. They made a huge step from last year.”
On their chances to win the title
Marcel: “I think we can win both the Drivers and Team championship. We have a solid pair with me and Freddie. And I’ve already proven I can fight up there. And we all know Freddie can do it. So yeah, I believe we have what it takes for both titles. Obviously, the focus is on the Team championship, because we are already Team Champions from last year and we want to keep that title. But if it doesn’t work out, we will just reapproach next year, just try to improve other areas. I mean, it’s so tight that you cannot even be mad if you lose, you obviously want to win. But everyone’s so good. They all work incredibly hard all teams. So if they win, they deserve it.”
Dani Bereznay
On preparing for Event 2 of the season
Dani: “We’ve had a lot less time to prepare compared to what we had ahead of the first event. I don’t think the field will be as tight as it was [last time] as people who adapt faster to the new circuits can have a bigger advantage. I’m pretty confident that we are the ones to beat ahead of the second event but Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, even the Williams guys, look pretty strong. Alpha Tauri and Renault included. To get in the top 10 will be really difficult.”
On main competitors for the title
Dani: “I think it’s good to be the team to beat but Alpha Tauri with Joni Tormala and Red Bull with Marcel Kiefer and Frederik Rasmussen are an insanely fast pair. Also, Ferrari with Enzo Bonito and the former champion, David Tonizza, are really big threats. If you see the timings and not just the results, there is maximum one tenth of a second that separates us from most of the field. It’s basically one apex, one little mistake, and the championship can turn upside down pretty quickly. That’s why esports is so good! We definitely don’t treat it like we’ve already won and we definitely won’t let off as the others are super motivated.”
On esports drivers making mistakes
Dani: “The gaps are pretty small in esports and it’s crazy to watch because we as drivers remember every single mistake of our laps. There are some mistakes that are inevitable, but there are some minor inaccuracies in our driving that we get frustrated about. What separates Jarno [Opmeer] from other drivers is that what he can do in a practice session he can pretty much replicate in the real life thing which is really hard as the pressure is so high.”
On his relationship with teammate Jarno
Dani: “It’s really important for me [to have a partner like Jarno]. I think we can push each other and the thing is with f1 esports is that we don’t know any of the other teams lap times. So to have a competitive teammate sets a good benchmark because if you have a slower teammate and you are beating him by one or two tenth of a second per lap you don’t know what kind of level you’re at. But with Jarno, if you’re beating him, you’re basically beating all the top guys. I think we push each other forward and set a pretty great benchmark on what could be the actual lap times. I want him to perform well and I want to perform well myself. Of course I want to finish in front but if I finish second then I want it to be my teammate rather than someone from another team.”
Cedric Thome
On what he learnt from former teammate Jarno Opmeer
Cedric: “Jarno is rapid, he’s amazing. He was really quick last year as well but he had some moments where he was really unlucky. He’s doing an amazing job [this year], he’s first in the championship and he deserves to be where he is.”
On his passion for darts
Cedric: “Yes, I love darts and obviously with us racing from home this year I have a board in my room so if I can throw a few [darts]. I feel like it’s a good chance to free your mind and just throw some darts. It doesn’t really help my concentration for F1.”
- CSMG will create and operate College Street FighterTM Tour in North America for the 2024-25 academic year
- College conference Street Fighter 6 champions will punch their ticket to the national Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) & May Madness in 2025
Esports betting is still grappling with a perception problem amongst operators. Despite the leaps and bounds in product development made by suppliers – particularly in the last two years – esports hasn’t shaken off the image built in the late 2010s.
Our good friend, Oliver Niner, Head of Sales at PandaScore, has been kind to share the below article with us.
There’s scepticism around esports betting’s value, how well it can actually perform and what’s needed to make it appeal to bettors. A big part of that comes down to perception, which shapes the research and development (R&D) choices made by each operator.
Self-fulfilling prophecy?
Operators who have put the research and development (R&D) resources into esports are seeing excellent growth, while others are still treating it like part of a long tail. The lack of a uniform approach to esports often translates into hesitancy to be bullish and invest in esports.
Whereas in the United States, post-PASPA sports betting has exploded and operators are seeking to capture as much territory and market share as possible because in most cases, you switch the lights on and the money comes in. It’s, of course, good business sense to take opportunities like this – you can apply the same templates used elsewhere on an incredibly lucrative market.
This kind of approach has been attempted for esports and hasn’t found the same success. Granted, the legislation for betting on esports has been somewhat slower than that of sports betting and iGaming.
However, bullish operators have acknowledged the fact that esports hasn’t found the same success in regulated states and asked what can be done differently, while for others, esports has been thrown into the too-hard basket or relegated to the bargain bucket.
For the latter, the fate of the esports vertical becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – especially if an operator already using a budget esports product that throttles its very growth.
It takes two to tango
When esports is discussed in broader betting circles, you’ll often hear different versions of the same talking point: the problem with esports is no one is doing it well, it doesn’t innovate.
This argument is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Esports is a driver of innovation, and it is sportsbook R&D that is holding it back.
Multiple suppliers on the market are investing significant resources into R&D, and bullish operators are leveraging these product innovations to acquire new customers and create engagements made for the internet age.
There are understandable reasons why sports betting doesn’t innovate. It’s largely because operators focus on acquisition, entering new territories and spending money on data rights. But the actual R&D on sportsbook products is left lacking, with ever-increasing cost-per-acquisition (CPA) numbers a clear symptom of this.
It means that if an operator does decide to use or acquire an esports specialist supplier but does little to cater its product and attempts to just lay the sports betting template over the top, of course performance will be throttled.
It’s like putting a Ferrari engine in a Prius – no offence to Toyota or Prius owners.
The same problem exists on the platform supplier front. Platforms are understandably focused on compliance and getting customers live, not necessarily improving models or their products.
Even the idea that if you just acquire an innovative company the problem is solved or you have found the solution, doesn’t hold water. In many cases, the company is acquired and plenty of noise is made about it, but there’s little organisational investment in R&D afterwards.
It’s not just in esports
These problems extend to customer acquisition and marketing for most emerging markets, not just esports. There’s a rush to use the same old playbook in newer sectors because it’s easy.
The fantasy vs. house sector in the US is already experiencing an acquisition arms race. As analyst Dustin Gouker points out, deposit match bonuses for new users on fantasy vs house products have jumped from $100 to as high as $500 in some places.
This is the same race that played out in sports betting and despite the costs, there’s little effort from most operators to try something different. There’s less work when you just put the same acquisition template on an emerging sector and call it a day. This seems to be an accepted practice in the industry, for better or for worse.
Esports betting success requires ongoing dialogue
Rather than attempting to wedge esports into hegemonic sportsbook approaches, sportsbooks need to take a completely unique approach.
The fact is the betting sector has barely scratched the surface – communities of esports fans are still dormant. Canadian operator Rivalry has built a successful, esports-first business by embracing the ever-changing internet culture that esports inhabits. French esports organisation Karmine Corp recently sold out a 30,000-person stadium for an event with no prize money up for grabs.
Innovative products developed on the supplier side like microbetting and betbuilders are only half of the equation.
Maximising esports revenues requires institutional investment, ongoing R&D and collaboration between suppliers and operators to create products and experiences. This includes having staff on the operator side that can drive and push the product further, and crucially, rethinking current sportsbook strategies and practices.
Building experiences for betting’s greatest emerging market – one that caters to your future core audience – takes investment, innovation and a willingness to experiment. If the industry wants to make the most of the Millennial and Gen Z audience that will become its primary customers, investment into R&D and close collaboration between suppliers and operators is needed. Many hands makes light work.
TalkEsport, India’s leading esports media platform, announced today the successful closure of its pre-series A funding round, securing a significant investment of $1 million from Saswat Ventures. The substantial investment underscores TalkEsport’s robust growth trajectory and reaffirms its position as a pioneering force in the esports industry.
Founded in 2011, TalkEsport was set up with a vision to bring timely news and updates to gaming communities worldwide. As India’s oldest esports media platform, the company now caters to millions of gamers worldwide through its website and social media channels. TalkEsport plans to utilize the investment to scale up its core website while launching a highly interactive application for its audience and setting up a state-of-the-art production studio in Mumbai. Through it, the company will be launching exclusive content IPs focused on gaming and esports.
“We are delighted to welcome Saswat Ventures as our strategic partner,” exclaimed Deepak Ojha, Founder and CEO of TalkEsport. “Their belief in our vision and commitment to the esports ecosystem align seamlessly with our mission to redefine gaming experiences globally. With this investment, we will be scaling up our newsroom to cater to gaming communities worldwide while launching new content IPs targeted towards Indian and international audiences.”
Saswat Ventures, a family fund set up by Mr. BL Sharma, Principal, shares a vision of catapulting TalkEsport into a global phenomenon. Mr. Sharma has businesses across the country and expressed his confidence in TalkEsport’s potential to revolutionize esports media and connect with a vast audience of passionate gamers worldwide, “We believe in TalkEsport’s potential to become a global platform for esports enthusiasts worldwide.”
Trilochan Sharma, a seasoned expert in compliance matters, joins TalkEsport’s board as the Director of Compliance. His wealth of experience will ensure adherence to regulatory standards and bolster the company’s governance framework.
In addition to this pivotal investment, TalkEsport is proud to announce key developments that highlight its commitment to innovation and growth:
Production Studio in Mumbai
TalkEsport is excited to unveil its state-of-the-art production studio in Mumbai. This cutting-edge facility will serve as the epicenter for creating high-quality esports content, launching content IPs, live broadcasts, interviews, and immersive gaming experiences.
Pranav Nalawade, the Editor-in-chief of TalkEsport, said, “Our new era of esports coverage will begin not only with TalkEsport’s revolutionary approach in publishing news and covering esports events but also high-quality esports content courtesy of our new production studio. As one of the oldest esports media platforms, we have built an audience that relies on us for our history of trustworthy and reliable news. Now, we want to double up on this audience, reforming the way content around esports is consumed in India and abroad through podcasts, media, short-form content, and analytical stories – both in the form of video and text.”
Upcoming Mobile App Launch
Furthermore, TalkEsport is gearing up for the launch of its mobile application soon. This innovative app promises to redefine how gamers access news, engage with esports communities, and participate in live tournaments, all from the convenience of their mobile devices.
“Proceeds of the $1 million will be utilized in creating a robust team of gaming enthusiasts and expanding our global reach,” added Deepak. “This investment not only propels TalkEsport’s growth initiatives but also fuels our mission to provide unparalleled experiences for esports enthusiasts worldwide.”
Through its application, esports viewers will be able to get live coverage of esports tournaments, scores, and interviews. Additionally, they will be able to participate in community tournaments, thus providing an end-to-end immersive experience from the convenience of their mobile devices.
The media company continues to lead the charge in transforming the esports landscape, fostering community engagement, and pushing the boundaries of gaming innovation. The company’s dedication to excellence, coupled with strategic partnerships and visionary leadership, sets the stage for an exciting chapter in esports media.
The post Esports media platform TalkEsport raises $1 million in pre-series A funding round appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Baltics4 weeks agoLithuania’s Nese enters iGaming with a record sponsorship deal
-
Latest News1 week agoThe Importance of Data Quality Review Checks in the Gaming Industry
-
Asia2 weeks agoOnlyplay Enters into Strategic Partnership with Ritchie Rabbit
-
Africa4 weeks ago
BMM Testlabs Continues Its Expansion in Africa with New Licenses in Botswana and Nigeria to Test Land-Based and Digital Products
-
Africa4 weeks ago
KingMakers’ Nigerian operating business, BetKing, selects Genius Sports to power growth with in-play trading services
-
Conferences in Europe4 weeks agoAltenar becomes General Sponsor of EEGS 2024
-
EurAsia4 weeks agoFastex Forges Partnership with Olympionic Foundation to Boost Sports Development in Armenia
-
Compliance Updates4 weeks agoBooming Games secures Romanian B2B license
