Beasley Media Group reached an agreement to purchase esports organization, the Houston Outlaws of the Overwatch League.
Owning 65 radio stations in 15 markets, reaching 20 million weekly consumers, Beasley Media Group has placed an emphasis on esports recently. In April, Beasley invested in the organization Team Renegades and last year, the broadcast company picked up the weekly syndicated esports lifestyle radio show CheckpointXP.
“The acquisition of the Houston Outlaws significantly expands our growing esports platform,” said Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley. “Our growing esports infrastructure and management combined with our experience with team Renegades, success in hosting and promoting large events and our national esports content hub — BeasleyXP — are key factors in our expectations for long-term returns from this investment. We look forward to initial contributions from this exciting development when the league’s third season begins in February.”
Beasley Media Group acquired the Houston Outlaw from Immortals Gaming Club (IGC).
“As ongoing owners in the Overwatch League through our Los Angeles Valiant franchise, we are thrilled to welcome Beasley Media Group, Caroline Beasley, Chris Roumayeh, and the entire Beasley/Team Renegades group to the Overwatch League,” said IGC’s CEO Ari Segal.
Esports continues to grow at a rapid rate. Having an estimated 450 million viewers, it puts the number of esports fans on par with that of the NBA. Next year, esports wagering is expected to reach an astounding $12.9 billion.
The intersection of esports and sports radio also continues to grow. A number of radio stations have added esports shows either terrestrially or through podcasts. Beasley’s 98.5 The Sports Hub also has their own channel on Twitch, a streaming platform with focused on gamers. The Sports Hub’s morning show, Toucher and Rich streams their video feed live on Twitch every weekday.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here