eSports

Halls and Virtus.pro announce partnership

Published

5 years ago

April 26, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

VMLY&R (part of WPP), Carat and The Story Lab (part of dentsu Russia) agencies continue to develop the esports direction for Halls (Mondelez International). The cooperation with ESforce, the largest esports organization in Russia, opens a new page for the brand cooperation.

Halls will be integrated into Virtus.pro media resources (part of ESforce).

The creative idea of the esports campaign was developed by the VML&R agency. The integration ideas were developed by The Story Lab together with ESforce. The media support is provided by Carat agency. As part of the cooperation, a promotional video has been prepared with the first Dota 2 roster. The video will be published on the club’s official YouTube channel. Within six months, Virtus.pro accounts will host posts with integrations of Halls brand, banners, articles on the site, etc.

Anna Semchuk, Senior Brand Development Manager: “For more than 120 years, the Halls brand’s mission has been to help the world breathe better. A charge of menthol in each pack is a crisp breath of air, an opportunity to focus on the moments that matter. Halls gives you a boost of concentration so you can get the most out of the game. The creative idea is ”Nothing will distract you from winning if you are charged with concentration with Halls” – perfectly reflects the new brand positioning”.

Alexander Mishutin, Director of Customer Relations at Carat: “The project’s goal was to strengthen the brand’s positioning among the young audience, where esports is an important communication channel. Such cooperation is interesting and promising for Halls in terms of engagement, increasing loyalty and the chance of attracting a new audience. The key message of the campaign, “Increase your concentration and win prizes for the best game together with Halls and Virtus.pro!”, will be supported on YouTube, VK and other resources with videos engaging Virtus.pro players”.

Sergey Glamazda, Virtus.pro General Manager: “ESforce Holding has been cooperating with the Mondelez brands for a long time. Joint projects have repeatedly shown their effectiveness and this time Halls brand becomes a Virtus.pro partner. I am pleased to welcome Halls and I am confident that our collaboration will resonate with the esports audience.”

Evgeny Podergin, Senior Copywriter VMLY&R: “The simple truth is: as you get down to the game, so you will make it. For esports players, mood and concentration before a match are as important as for traditional sportsmen. When hundreds of important things are happening on the screen in front of you every minute, you have no option to lose focus. This is the essence of our campaign and the main thing of Halls RTB. Thanks to menthol, our drops can really help you focus at the right moment, take a deep breath, exhale and throw yourself into the game without any distraction, which can prevent you from victory.”

In 2020, Halls brand has already sponsored an esports championship. Within the framework of the project, Carat agency appreciated the effectiveness of esports integrations. According to the study, Halls brand video was remembered by more than 50% of the audience, while the benchmark for FMCG brands here is only 32%. In addition to the record values, the experts of Carat revealed a loyal attitude of the esports audience to advertising integrations.

BLAST

BLAST opens New York HQ as 2025 revenue tops $133m on 40%+ growth

Published

5 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Wladimir P.

blast-opens-new-york-hq-as-2025-revenue-tops-$133m-on-40%+-growth

Esports and live events operator says it stayed profitable in 2025 and plans 15 arena events across 13 cities in 2026.

BLAST has opened a New York City headquarters in Brooklyn as the company reported record growth and profitability in 2025, including more than $133 million in revenue and over 40% year-over-year growth.

The new U.S. headquarters is located at 45 Main Street in Brooklyn within a shared 55,000-square-foot office space. BLAST said the hub will support partnerships, live events and commercial growth across North America as it expands its U.S. operations.

The North American push is being led by Chief Business Officer Leo Matlock, who has relocated to New York, alongside Steve Rossi, who joined earlier this year as SVP of Brand Partnerships. BLAST said its U.S. team has grown to eight full-time employees.

BLAST said it has staged seven tier-one esports events in North America over the past 16 months, across Austin, Fort Worth, Boston, Raleigh, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. The company cited “more than $102 million” in economic impact from the 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major alone, including more than $9 million in hotel expenditures. It also recently announced the Rocket League World Championship will return to Fort Worth in September 2026.

In 2025, BLAST said its broadcasts delivered more than 2 billion live views globally and 300 million hours watched, spanning live events in 22 cities worldwide. The company also said it distributes content via 29 broadcast partners, including SuperSport, France TV and RTBF, reaching audiences in more than 150 territories and 30+ languages.

“Competitive entertainment has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in global media because it combines community, technology and live experiences in entirely new ways,” said Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST. “The next generation of fans want entertainment that feels participatory, social and global by default. That shift is creating enormous opportunities for brands, publishers, creators and host cities, and we believe BLAST is uniquely positioned to help lead that evolution after a landmark year in 2025.” BLAST said it plans to host 15 arena events across 13 cities and three continents in 2026.

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BLAST

BLAST reports 40% revenue growth in 2025, opens New York headquarters

Published

5 hours ago

July 1, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

blast-reports-40%-revenue-growth-in-2025,-opens-new-york-headquarters

BLAST, the Denmark-founded competitive entertainment and esports events company, reported record growth and continued profitability in 2025 and said it has opened a New York headquarters as it expands across North America.

The company said it delivered more than 40% year-over-year growth and generated more than $133 million in revenue in 2025, while remaining profitable and continuing to invest in global expansion. BLAST said its U.S. headquarters at 45 Main Street in Brooklyn sits within a shared 55,000-square-foot office space and will serve as its central base for partnerships, live events and commercial growth across North America.

The expansion is being led by Chief Business Officer Leo Matlock, who has relocated to New York, and Steve Rossi, who joined earlier this year as SVP of Brand Partnerships. BLAST said its U.S. team has grown to eight full-time employees.

BLAST pointed to recent North American activity, saying it has hosted seven tier-one esports events across Austin, Fort Worth, Boston, Raleigh, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City over the past 16 months. The company said these events have generated economic impact for host destinations, including more than $102 million from the 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major alone, including more than $9 million in hotel expenditures. BLAST also said the Rocket League World Championship will return to Fort Worth in September 2026.

On content reach, BLAST said its 2025 broadcasts delivered more than 2 billion live views globally and 300 million hours watched across live events in 22 cities, distributed through 29 broadcast partners across online platforms and linear broadcasters. “We’re seeing tremendous momentum globally and all across North America, not just in esports fandom, but in how brands, game publishers, cities and entertainment companies are thinking about gaming culture, engaging competitions and digital-first audiences,” said Leo Matlock, Chief Business Officer at BLAST. The company said it plans to host 15 arena events across 13 cities and three continents in 2026.

The post BLAST reports 40% revenue growth in 2025, opens New York headquarters appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

asia qualifiers

India qualifies for Esports Nations Cup 2026 VALORANT main event

Published

1 day ago

June 30, 2026

Wladimir P.

india-qualifies-for-esports-nations-cup-2026-valorant-main-event

India has qualified for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 VALORANT main event after advancing through the Asia regional qualifiers. The nation-based tournament runs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2 to 29, with VALORANT scheduled for November 8 to 15.

The Asia qualifier featured nine teams in a double-elimination bracket, with best-of-one matches until the upper- and lower-bracket finals, which were best-of-three. India opened with a 13-2 win over Nepal, then dropped to the lower bracket after a 5-13 loss to Japan. The team then eliminated Pakistan (13-9) and Mongolia (13-10) before securing qualification by beating Hong Kong 2-0 (13-10, 13-6).

India’s roster includes in-game leader Sagnik Roy (Hellf) alongside Abhirup Choudhury (Lightningfast), Aman Yadav (Hoax), Venkatesh Sharma (Venky), and Daivik Chauhan (Dc). Norbu Tsering (Karam1L) and Shravana Sahoo (Techno) are listed as substitutes, with Abhishek Bajaj (GodspeedxD) named as coach. NODWIN Gaming is India’s National Team Partner (NTP) for ENC 2026.

Venky led the Asia qualifiers in eliminations with 117 across India’s six matches, according to the organiser. The company also said more than 100,000 viewers watched the Asia qualifier finals across co-streams and official ENC broadcasts.

Speaking about the qualification, Sagnik Roy (Hellf), IGL of India’s VALORANT team, said, “This qualification means a lot because of what it represents for India’s VALORANT scene. After the loss against Japan, we knew we had to reset quickly and focus on one game at a time. Every player stepped up when it mattered, and our ability to stay composed under pressure helped us turn things around. The growth of the game’s ecosystem over the last few years has created a pool of players capable of competing at the highest level, and this team is a reflection of that progress. Every international opportunity helps push the ecosystem forward and inspires the next generation of competitors. We are excited to compete at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup and want to make the most of this chance.”

ENC 2026 VALORANT will feature 32 national teams competing for a USD 1.5 million (~INR 14 crore) prize pool. Sixteen teams were invited via ENC Rankings based on official Riot Games competition results, with 14 places decided through regional qualifiers. The United Arab Emirates has a Host Region Wildcard, and one Solidarity Wildcard slot remains, due to be announced at the end of August once qualifiers conclude.

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