Esports streaming site Azubu raises $60M in latest financing round
California-based game livestreaming service Azubu North America, Inc. may not quite match the scale of a juggernaut like its primary competitor, Twitch Interactive Inc, which was purchased by Amazon Inc last year for $970 million, but Azubu CEO Ian Sharpe believes his platform can go head to head with Twitch in the realm of esports by offering a more focused experience.
To help reach that goal, Azubu announced today that it has raised an additional 55 million euros (roughly $60 million USD) in debt financing. The round was led by London-based investment company Sapinda Holding BV, along with contributions from Sallfort Privatbank of Switzerland.
“We believe that the global eSports community deserves a broadcast and viewing platform that’s designed specifically for their businesses,” Sharpe said in a statement. “We are developing our technology in direct collaboration with the community and brand partners in order to provide the best possible, and crucially, most monetizable streaming experience.”
“We are expanding operations in a number of new regions around the world and creating bigger and more content partnerships and corporate relationships, which we’re looking forward to announcing in the near future,” added Jason Katz, COO, Azubu. “This latest round of financing will support our global growth and expansion into 2016 and beyond.”
In an interview with GamesBeat, Sharpe said that Azubu’s latest funding will go toward “innovation around the platform, so we can provide the best user experience for broadcasters.”
Game video: A $3.8 billion industry
The video content industry surrounding gaming has been growing rapidly in recent years, and analytics firm SuperData Research Inc estimated earlier this year that game video content has become a $3.8 billion industry. According to SuperData’s report, Twitch alone accounted for 43 percent of the market in terms of revenue, with the Google-owned YouTube following close behind at 36 percent.
Meanwhile, Azubu represented for only 2 percent of total revenue, but in terms of viewership, Azubu accounted for an impressive 10 percent of game content views.
“Although it commands only 10% of viewership, Azubu is designed for eSports watchers,” SuperData said in its report. “As with baseball or football, hardcore fans can access up-to-date statistics and connect with their favorite players through customizable modules.”
Screenshot via Azubu.tv
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