Leading ad platform Unruly today announced a global gaming and esports partnership with The Consumer Engagement Co (Thece), a premier, global second-screen mobile engagement ad platform.
As part of the partnership, Unruly’s advertisers will be able to access more than a billion livestream billboard ad impressions per week through one of the world’s first livestream ad networks focused on esports and gaming, owned and operated by Thece.
Ad units run within the Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) on livestreams of more than 100,000 esports and gaming influencers around the world, aggregated via their teams on platforms such as Twitch.
Esports and gaming has seen a significant rise in audience adoption over the past 12 months, fuelled by the global 5G rollout, an expansion in gaming subscription services and lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures imposed following the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around 1 in 3 people around the world (3.1 billion) now play video games (source: DFC Intelligence, 2020). However, an increasing number of gamers also like to watch other people play. With linear TV usage falling, many are increasingly tuning in to watching live streams of gaming influencers and competitive esports events. Global esports audiences are expected to hit the 729M mark by the end of the year (source: NewZoo, 2021).
Despite this shift in media consumption and clear demand for this rapidly growing audience, esports currently only attracts 2.5% of the ad revenue linear TV generates. Unruly’s partnership with Thece provides advertisers the opportunity to reach these audiences at scale, particularly the increasingly hard-to-reach demographic of 18 to 34-year-olds, who make up 73% of the global esports audience (Twitch, 2020).
Alex Khan, Unruly’s Group MD, International, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Thece in this exciting, fast-growing space. Gaming has quickly become the perfect arena for escapism for many people in lockdown across the globe. We believe this explosion in gaming and esports activity has made it an essential advertising channel for many brands looking to engage hard-to-reach audiences.
“We’re getting a lot of demand for something new in esports and gaming, and Thece’s offering is among the most innovative solution we’ve seen. It has the ability to put brands in front of these fast-growing communities of passionate gamers and esports fanatics and helps convert them into brand loyalists through its highly-engaging mobile platform.”
Ian Owen-Ward, Thece’s co-founder and CRO, said: “Our go-to-market strategy needs the ability to quickly plug into a worldwide sales organization; an ‘outside the box’ digital advertising practice. We believe Unruly gives us that ability, with global coverage in all the markets we wish to cover.”
About Unruly
Unruly is one of the leading video ad platforms in the world. Publishers use Unruly’s self-service tools, global relationships with premium demand partners, user-friendly ad formats and dedicated support team to maximise their revenue across a range of different screens, including CTV, mobile and desktop.
A pioneer in bringing emotional intelligence to the ad ecosystem, Unruly’s innovative, multi-format tech, unique audience insights and creative solutions also enable brands and agencies to seamlessly engage global consumers in premium, brand-safe environments.
Part of the Tremor International group (AIM: TRMR), Unruly is on a mission to transform digital advertising for the better. Our brand and agency-led council, the U7, meet regularly to shape the future of digital marketing and we are a founding member of the WFA’s Global Alliance for Responsible Media. Don’t just reach people, move people.
About Thece
Thece is the world’s premier second-screen mobile engagement ad platform. Advertisers build microgames to engage consumers, distributing them via their media mix online and offline.
The Thece platform was conceived and designed for the “post-cookie world” that is nearly upon us. We leverage the resurgent QR code to make non-clickable ad inventory (Billboards, OTT, CTV, etc) now interactive. We also own and manage the world’s first livestream ad network in Esports and Gaming. This provides us with 100,000 aggregated teams and streamers with an excess of a billion weekly impressions in that highly coveted vertical.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) concerning future events. Words such as “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “hopes,” “estimates,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the information available to, and the expectations and assumptions deemed reasonable by the Company at the time these statements were made.
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Press Contacts
Ian Owen-Ward – Co-Founder and CRO at Thece
ian@thece.co
917 400 7114
David Waterhouse – Global VP, Communications at Unruly
Email: david.waterhouse@unrulygroup.com
