Nippon launches eSports arm

Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV has established a new subsidiary focusing on the growing phenomenon of eSports.

AX Entertainment has been set up to create the broadcaster’s first eSports show, eGG (eSports Good Game), which will feature the latest news from the world of eSports, focusing on top professionals and documenting players competing in tournaments.

eGG will stream online on Nippon TV’s catch-up service, as well as via Hulu Japan, TVer, GYAO!, and OPENREC. The show will also be available as a finished programme for international sales.

Additionally, AX Entertainment will form eSports team AXIZ, comprised of professional gamers from various genres, which will take part in competitions to boost interest in eSports.

“As the demographic of television viewers in Japan continues to age, Nippon TV is faced with limited opportunities to come into contact with the younger generations in their 10s and early 20s who do not spend time in front of the small screen,” a spokesperson for Nippon TV’s eSports project team said.

“We decided to actively create opportunities to reach the non-TV-viewing demographic by entering the globally expanding eSports arena, a business model that focuses on the youth and enables them to be the primary players and audiences.”

The rise in eSports’ popularity has been permeating the TV world for some time now and is not limited to gaming hotspots such as Asia. In May, Scandinavian media outfit Modern Times Group named the management team for its new eSports and digital video content arm, which was formed following the company’s decision to split in two.

MTG has been offloading its traditional TV operations over recent years, selling its linear networks and investing in eSports and digital companies.