Endemol Shine’s digital studio partners with Mashable to distribute eSports series
Endemol Shine’s digital studio has partnered with Mashable to distribute five digital eSports series across both platforms’ owned properties as the production powerhouse hopes to ride off the back of a video push in new media.
Legends of Gaming
Endemol Shine Beyond USA is the digital studio of Endemol Shine North America, focused on developing original series to be distributed cross-platform. Among its digital-first series the company produces 'Pretty Little Pranksters', 'Beauty Newbies', as well as eSports franchise 'Legends of Gaming'.
The latter will now feature on Mashable’s site and social channels, YouTube page and OTT channels, as part of the partnership which includes five Beyond-produced digital series across eSports, tech and science.
The dual partnership marks season three of ‘Legends of Gaming’, a reality competition series in which top personalities from the YouTube community compete in an online gaming tournament. The third Mashable-partnered series is set to go live in the fourth quarter of 2016.
The format initially debuted in 2014 and has attracted nearly 70m views since, the production company claims. Through the partnership, Endemol Shine Beyond hopes expand the format’s audience, while Mashable sees it as a potential to extend its eSports coverage, which “has always resonated with the Mashable audience”, a spokesperson said.
"Partnering with Mashable allows us to bring ‘Legends of Gaming,’ a globally successful and beloved franchise to a new audience,” said Bonnie Pan, president of Endemol Shine Beyond USA. “This series and our additional slate of programming represents an important milestone in the transformation of audience consumption patterns.”
The five series in total will be distributed globally on both Mashable and Endemol Shine Beyond’s owned and operated network, which is available across more than 20 platforms including YouTube, Roku, DailyMotion, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. The two companies will collaborate to secure brand sponsorships for all five of the series. Each series will be produced by Endemol Shine Beyond, giving it editorial control over the content.
“Endemol Shine Beyond has demonstrated a unique ability to tap into the growing eSports phenomenon through its ‘Legends of Gaming’ franchise,” said Adam Ostrow, chief strategy officer of Mashable. “We are excited to bring this new season to our audience and advertisers, as well as partner on additional series that align squarely with Mashable’s focus on the intersection of technology, lifestyle and culture.”