IEM Cologne nets appropriate send

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ESL Faceit Group’s Intel Extreme Masters Cologne event brought in nearly 30 million hours watched over the course of the tournament, and peaked during the grand finals between G2 and ENCE with 727,000 viewers. EFG also reports that 37,000 fans were in attendance at the Lanxess Arena. The event contained a send-off to the Global Offensive chapter of Counter-Strike's history, even though no one knows exactly when CS:2 will release. EFG’s next major event is IEM Sydney in October.

Esports has few tentpole events. IEM Cologne’s strength, in terms of sponsor acquisition and fan retention, is its status as a recurring event. EFG VP/Fan Marketing Kai Kienzle describes Cologne as a “pillar” event. “Like Wimbledon [in terms of consistency] helps Tennis, Cologne helps Counter-Strike,” Kienzle tells SBJ.

IEM Cologne is one of the last tournaments that EFG will base in their old formula. The release of CS:2 will bring a substantial amount of eyeballs into the esport, and the challenge will be to retain the new viewers while also servicing the long-term fans. EFG has seen an increase in demand for short-form content in their CS properties, and are leaning into the newer fans’ demands. “We need to embrace the entertainment of esports. We are not a traditional sports, over-the-top professionalized [broadcast], and we need to package [content] in a way people can consume it easier,” Shaun Clark, Sr Dir of Game Ecosystems for EFG says.

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SBJ I Factor presented by Allied Sports — Michael Goldstein SBJ I Factor presented by Allied Sports features an interview with Michael Goldstein, founder of SES Insights and a member of Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class of 2019. Goldstein talks with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about how he transitioned from ESPN to Mastercard to now starting up his own marketing and sponsorship company. Goldstein also shares how testing out new waters has benefited him throughout his career and personal life. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards, such as Forty Under 40, Game Changers and others.

Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on Friday night will play host to the return of SlamBall, and league co-founder Mike Tollin credits an organic groundswell among fans as a key impetus in bringing the sport back to life in the U.S. Tollin, who also serves as Mandalay Sports Media co-chair, spoke with SBJ’s Austin Karp about the relationship with broadcast partner ESPN, how the funding efforts exceeded expectations, as well as the potential roles both sports wagering and social media could play.

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