TORONTO, Sept. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Toronto Ultra, OverActive Media’s (TSXV:OAM) professional Call of Duty esports team and Canada's only Call of Duty League™ franchise, was recognized as Property of the Year at the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada’s (SMCC) 2021 Sponsorship Marketing Awards (SMAs). The award marks the first in SMCC history to be given to an esports property.
The Toronto Ultra recently celebrated an incredible season, securing a second-place finish at the Call of Duty League Championship Weekend. They are the fastest-growing Professional Sports franchise in Canada (January to September 2021) with more than 460,000 new followers and a 425% year-over-year growth across their respective social channels. In just two seasons, the Toronto Ultra has become the second most-followed team in the Call of Duty League on social media, and the first on TikTok specifically, surpassing legacy esports brands.
“Being recognized as Property of the Year by the SMCC is a huge milestone for the esports industry in Canada,” said Alyson Walker, Chief Commercial Officer, OverActive Media. “The collective team has delivered exceptional results in 2021 as demonstrated through season performance, audience growth and partner support. The Toronto Ultra provides a compelling case study for meaningful sponsorship opportunities that reach new and diverse audiences.”
The franchise has experienced significant growth since it began its inaugural season in 2020, parallel to Canada being ranked among the top five biggest Call of Duty markets in the world and seeing an increase in esports fans (up 29% year-over-year)1. This year, the Toronto Ultra more than tripled its roster of major brand partners including names like CRAVE Meals, Jack Link’s, TD and Bud Light, positioning itself as second amongst all Call of Duty teams in terms of total partnership revenue. To continue to build momentum around Toronto Ultra, a number of innovative brand activations were introduced to Call of Duty fans including the inaugural Jack Link’s $100k Warzone Payout, unique content collaborations, virtual Universal Music performances, and a virtual Home Series presented by Bell.
Launched in 2000 to recognize sponsorship marketing excellence, the SMAs have become a cornerstone of the SMCC and an anticipated event in the Canadian marketing calendar. The SMAs recognize and reward the work of properties, brands, and agencies that have maximized the return on their investments in sponsorship marketing. Past winners of the Property of the Year Award include the Toronto Raptors, Team Canada (Canadian Olympic Committee), the National Hockey League and Toronto FC.
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1 Viventel “Fans on the Rise: The Esports Audience in Canada, 2020” Research Report.
For more information, please contact:
Leah Gaucher, Director, PR & Communications, OverActive Media
(647) 924-2614
lgaucher@oam.gg
Babak Pedram, Investor Relations, Virtus Advisory Group Inc.
(416) 995-8651
bpedram@virtusadvisory.com
ABOUT OVERACTIVE MEDIA
OverActive Media (TSXV:OAM) is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with operations in Madrid, Spain and Berlin, Germany. OverActive’s mandate is to build an integrated global company delivering sports, media and entertainment products for today’s generation of fans with a focus on esports, videogames, content creation and distribution, culture, and live and online events. OverActive owns team franchises in (i) the Overwatch League, operating as the Toronto Defiant, (ii) the Call of Duty League, operating as the Toronto Ultra, (iii) the League of Legends European Championship (“LEC”), operating as the MAD Lions, (iv) the Superliga, operating as the MAD Lions Madrid, and (v) Flashpoint, operating as MAD Lions Counter Strike:Global Offensive (a franchised league operated by B Site Inc., a company in which OverActive holds a minority interest), as well as other non-affiliated CS:GO tournaments and leagues. OverActive also operates both live and online events, operating as OAM Live and maintains an active social media presence with its fans and community members, operates fan clubs, and other fan-related activities that increase the reach of its brands.
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
CALL OF DUTY and the CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. The CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE team names, logos and other team trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
