Page 23 - 2016 Year In Review

E-SPORTS EVENTS: E-Sports continued its growth trajectory and further
entrenched its position as a meaningful property in the sponsorship
landscape. In 2016, E-Sports grew to become an almost $500-million
business, 70% of which is generated by advertising, sponsorship, and
media-rights deals. Driving this growth is the fact that video-game
publishers are investing in live-arena e-sports competitions. Nintendo has
signaled increased interest in entering the live-arena competitive gaming
space to promote their newly launched gaming system, Switch and League
of Legends Championship Series, which made its live-arena debut in
Canada in front of 15,000 fans at the ACC in August. These live shows
create sponsorable inventory for brands looking to invest in this emerging
space.

WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY: The 2016 WCOH tournament showcased the
best the NHL has to offer, with as many as 6.9 million Canadians tuning
into the game 1 final between Team Canada and Team Europe. The World
Cup of Hockey also allowed the NHL to test a number of sponsorship
opportunities that could soon be adopted into NHL regular-season games.
During the World Cup of Hockey, broadcasters digitally overlayed sponsor
messages over the static in-arena rinkboards to provide a full take-over
for sponsors. Broadcasters alternated sponsors throughout the game,
ensuring that multiple brands had the opportunity for rinkboard
dominance. For both fans and sponsors of the World Cup of Hockey alike,
the tournament was seen as a success and will likely incorporate
additional sponsors moving forward.

BIKESHARE PROGRAMS: While sponsorship of major professional sports
teams and properties has become commonplace, many forward-thinking
brands have looked to sponsorable municipal assets to reach a mass
audience and differentiate their brand from competitors. Today, many
major metropolitan cities have adopted bike-sharing program, which not
only benefits their citizens, but Tier-1 brands as well. In Toronto, TD Bank
is the official sponsor of Toronto's bicycle-sharing program, whereas Citi
Bank has the naming rights to New York City’s program. This year, Ford
became the title sponsor of San Franciscos’s bike-sharing program, in an
interesting sponsorship that promotes an alternative riding to cars. The
prevalence of bike-sharing sponsorships has demonstrated to be an
effective branding strategy and provides brands the opportunity to
address areas of need in the community.

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