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Acer, Red Bull form video content partnership

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 24 Aug 2017
The video content will be showcased on Red Bull TV and Acer channels.
The video content will be showcased on Red Bull TV and Acer channels.

Technology giant Acer and energy drink manufacturer Red Bull have formed a global partnership to create video content showcasing the world of PC gaming and e-sports.

According to Acer, the partnership aims to bring together the gaming and e-sports competencies of both companies. Bespoke content productions, varying from short to long formats, will be developed to give e-sports fans and gamers insight into the key technologies, events and personalities in modern PC gaming.

In May, Acer was named the official partner of the Red Bull Kumite 2017 international fighting games competition, where the world's top Street Fighter V players went head-to-head on Acer's battle-tested Predator XB271HK monitors.

Acer has a portfolio of gaming hardware and software, Acer Predator.

The company says the content being produced will come in multiple video formats. "Firstly, there will be a mini documentary series that tells true, unaltered and honest stories from personalities in the world of e-sports. Its aim is to uncover stories that have never been told before with the biggest and brightest stars of e-sports.

"Secondly, there will be a Web series that explores and reaches different corners of the earth to unravel unique personal stories from different people in the e-sports and games world. The focus is on non-athlete persons that are deeply involved in the gaming scene. Thirdly, a host of multimedia digital content will be produced for major international e-sports events, new game releases, technologies and products."

According to Acer, the collaboration will include exclusive content production, product placement, event partnership and media activations. The content will be showcased on global Acer-owned channels and on Red Bull Media House platforms, which include Red Bull TV and online.

"Delivering exciting engaging content and connecting with fans through e-sports is the key to Acer's strategy to continue to drive preference for its high-performance gaming brand Predator. We are thrilled to build an even stronger reputation together with Red Bull," says Hajo Blingen, VP marketing at Acer EMEA.

PricewaterhouseCoopers benchmarks the South African gaming industry at over R2.6 billion, estimating it will reach R3.6 billion by 2019.

In January 2016, Telkom introduced the Telkom Digital Gaming League, previously known as the Do Gaming League. The e-sports league included a masters programme for multi-gaming organisations with prize money totalling R1 million in cash.

"Gaming has seen phenomenal growth over the past few years as players become ever more engaged. We already have more than four million gamers in SA. By professionalising the sport and developing new players, we can look forward to seeing more local talent compete on the same footing as international teams," says Johann Von Backstr"om, from the DGL Management Company.

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