The Brazilian communications conglomerate Globo has founded a new company to manage its esports initiatives. The Player1 Gaming Group is an investment by Globo Ventures to integrate its platform of the same name, the Player1, which is responsible for the main competitive Pro Evolution Soccer scene in Brazil, the lower divisions of the Brazilian League of Free Fire (LBFF), Globo’s esports events as Prêmio eSports Brasil and GG eSports Summit, its joint venture LnK Gaming, which is responsible for the Brazilian Counter-Strike Circuit (CBCS), and other special projects.
With the launch of Player1, all esports-dedicated Globo channels on YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and Facebook, which are currently named eSporTV, will now be named after the new company.
According to Globo, the growth of esports, including audience and sponsorships, made it reach the mainstream, pushing the company to change its strategy to grow its business in the market. In a public statement, the CEO of Globo Ventures Roberto Marinho Neto said that “the investment in Player1 Gaming Group reinforces our belief in the growth of the games and esports industry. This spin-off will bring focus and scale to a promising business centered on this highly engaged consumer.” Data by Newzoo, which shows that the Brazilian market has around 90 million gamers moving $10 billion BRL (roughly $ 2.03 billion USD) per year, was also taken into consideration for the move.
Globo’s Head of Games and Esports Leandro Valentim will fill the role of CEO at Player1 Gaming Group. He assures that Player1 will follow and develop all initiatives and partnerships that started with Globo and “focus on scaling the D2C business, risking more and being more agile.” The whole team under Valentim will also be moving to Player1.
Globo invests since 2017 in esports, and for being a powerhouse of communications in Brazil quickly became a key player in the local scene. It holds partnerships with some of the main competitive game publishers in the country like Garena, Riot Games, Epic Games, Ubisoft, Konami, and Supercell. Recently, a deal with Valve was sealed to grant two CBCS splits as qualifiers for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Majors. Besides online platforms, some productions from Player1 will also be featured in Globo’s broadcast and pay-TV channels.
