Media Central Corporation Inc. (CSE:FLYY)(FSE:3AT) (“MediaCentral” or the “Company”) today announced that it has entered into several affiliate marketing partnerships with leading esports gambling sites to further monetize ECentralSports.com (“ECentralSports” or “ECentral”) the Company’s latest original digital media platform. Launched in early June, ECentralSports is a dynamic digital destination for esports fans in search of the latest in news, competitive gaming coverage, analysis, events, lifestyle features and gaming culture. ECentralSports will now add gambling to its extensive content offering, with a new dedicated gambling content stream linking to some of the biggest gambling players on the scene.
Pulling from the Company’s approximately 6.5 million readers, ECentralSports will leverage affiliate marketing to drive revenue to the media channel by connecting readers interested in betting on top online gaming tournaments to premium gambling sites like LOOT.BET, ArchaneBet, and BeWinner through its omnichannel publishing model.
The new gambling stream will focus on the “big three” – CS:GO (Counter Stike: Global Offensive), League of Legends (LoL) and Dota 1 – which combined account for 85 per cent of the esports betting market1. The esports market has accelerated over the last several years, with more and more viewers tuning in to watch global tournaments. According to Arland Technologies, it is expected that there will be almost 300 million frequent viewers of esports worldwide. Like traditional sports like NFL and NHL, there is an enormous betting market connected to esports gaming. The New York Times recently quoted Nevada Esports Alliance founder Seth Schorr as predicting that esports will be third after NFL and NBA in terms of total wagering. The same article estimated that the global esports betting market will reach $14 billion by the end of 20202.
“COVID-19 has accelerated an already skyrocketing esports gambling market. With so many traditional sporting seasons on hold this year, esports events have really come to the forefront as an alternative-not just for fans who enjoy watching the action, but also for those who like betting on the outcomes,” said John Lucas, Editor of ECentralSports. “We are thrilled to provide our readers the latest commentary, news, features and now gambling information surrounding this global phenomenon. We are working on creating content to help our readers find the online betting platform that works best for them. This adds to our overall content offering and positions ECentralSports as a go-to hub for all things esports.”
MediaCentral begin introducing affiliate marketing to its other media properties including Toronto’s iconic NOW Magazine and Vancouver’s award-winning Georgia Straight in March of this year as part of the Company’s ongoing strategy to digitally transform and monetize its legacy alternative publications.
“Our mission at MediaCentral is simple. We will produce and acquire high-quality publications with the goal of consolidating, digitizing and monetizing an audience of over 100 million influential readers across North America,” said Brian Kalish, CEO of MediaCentral. “The fact that we have just launched ECentralSports mere weeks ago and have already introduced affiliate marketing to monetize the site proves how committed we are to creating a profitable and modern media company that delivers value to shareholders. Affiliate marketing has already proven to drive revenue and ROI across our other platforms, and we look forward to similar results with ECentralSports.”
