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Tag: Activision Blizzard

  • Activision Blizzard and Pocket Aces’ Loco partner to host India’s biggest Call of Duty Mobile Tournament

    Activision Blizzard and Pocket Aces’ Loco partner to host India’s biggest Call of Duty Mobile Tournament

    Fueling the growth of competitive esports in the country, India’s leading esports and game streaming platform, Loco, in an industry-defining move announces its partnership with video game publishing giant – Activision Blizzard. The two will jointly host India’s biggest Call of Duty Mobile tournament with a Prize Pool of INR 35 lakhs. Cementing a new milestone between the two leaders in their respective domains, the Call of Duty Mobile India Cup will pave the way for gamers sitting across the country, transforming the Indian gaming ecosystem at large. 

    Call of Duty Mobile India Cup will be live exclusively on Loco and the event comprises two tournaments- Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Open and Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro. Registrations for Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Open tournament are underway, allowing teams from across the country to sign up and compete against each other in 5v5 matches in an open qualifier format. The total prize pool is INR 10 Lakhs, of which INR 5 Lakhs will be awarded to the team at the 1st position while the remaining will be split amongst teams between 2nd & 8th position. 

    Following the nail-biting open battles, 16 qualifying teams will advance to the Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro and be joined by India’s top professional Call of Duty Mobile teams to play 5v5 matches in a league format. Team Mayhem and Team IND are among the top illustrious teams that have been invited for the Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro to level up the excitement and intensity. The total prize pool of the 5v5 matches in Call of Duty Mobile India Cup Pro is INR 25 Lakhs, of which the team at first position will receive 10Lakhs, followed by 5Lakhs and INR 3 Lakhs to the 2nd and 3rd position respectively while the rest of the prize pool will be shared amongst the teams between 4th and 8th position.  

    Speaking about the tournament, Anirudh Pandita Founder, Pocket Aces, said, "We are thrilled to partner with a leading game publisher such as Activision Blizzard and to host a tournament of this magnitude and scale. Call of Duty is a legendary title and we are really excited to build the Call of Duty Mobile eSports ecosystem in the country from the ground up. The Call of Duty Mobile India Cup is the first step in the formation of this ecosystem and will help cement India’s position on the global esports map. We are elated to have magnificent teams like Team IND, and Team Mayhem on board with us and in a country where esports is growing at an unprecedented rate, this is just the beginning of a journey to many more milestones.”

    As a pioneer in the evolving Indian game streaming and esports broadcasting space, Loco is already home to some of India’s top competitive gamers such as Ghatak, GTX Preet, 8Bit Thug, and Jonathan to name a few. Over the years, the platform has asserted its position in the evolving ecosystem, having worked with leading brands and partners from around the world. Through strategic partnerships with Red Bull, Fnatic India, NBA 2K League, ax, and Xyaa, along with top teams like Fnatic, IND, 8bit, and Team Tamilas, Loco has played a vital role in the development of the esports industry in India.

  • Spencer Neumann appointed Netflix CFO

    Spencer Neumann appointed Netflix CFO

    MUMBAI: Spencer Neumann will be joining Netflix as chief financial officer, the company has confirmed. Before this, Neumann was CFO of Activision Blizzard and is also equipped with experiences from senior positions at The Walt Disney Company.

    Neumann will succeed David Wells who served as CFO since 2010.

    On Neumann’s appointment, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said, “Spencer is a stellar entertainment executive and we’re thrilled that he will help us provide amazing stories to people all over the world.” For the departing David Wells, he said, “I also want to again say thank you to David Wells, on behalf of the company and our shareholders, for his invaluable contributions at Netflix over the past 14 years.”

    Neumann, describing his excitement said, “Netflix is a singular brand, and I’m excited and honoured for the opportunity to work with the Netflix team and all of our stakeholders to build on the company’s exceptional track record of success and innovation.”

    With increasing responsibilities at The Walt Disney Company, Neumann has also served in a number of positions for the company. He was the CFO and executive vice president of Global Guest Experience of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, from 2012 until May 2017.

  • MEC Global Solutions doubles its strategy team in one year

    MEC Global Solutions doubles its strategy team in one year

    MUMBAI: MEC Global Solutions, MEC’s international hub based in London, has made a significant investment in talent, hiring three new faces to join its international strategy team in addition to the three senior strategists already in place.

     

    Chris Worrell, Francis Turner and Filippo Giannelli have been headhunted to further strengthen the team, working on the agency’s international clients including Vodafone, SABMiller, Johnson & Johnson, Beiersdorf and Activision Blizzard.

     

    Worrell, Turner and Giannelli join strategy partners Andy Reynolds and Shula Sinclair, creating a group of diversified talent and experience, headed by Global Solutions and EMEA chief strategy officer Stuart Sullivan-Martin.

     

    Commenting on the appointments, Martin said, “MEC has a heritage of excellence in communications planning, and that’s all about A+ people. The team’s remit includes working with our regional and international clients, spreading the insight derived from our industry leading approach to the consumer purchase journey (MEC Momentum), and working alongside the talented strategists in MEC’s local markets on our new operating system for planning: Thrive5. The number of regional and global media relationships we have with clients is only going to increase – so this is an exciting time and we’re gearing for growth.”

     

    Worrell joins as group strategy director, having more than 10 years’ experience working with clients such as McDonalds, Vodafone, Easyjet and Carlsberg. Previously he was insight director with OMD UK and held a European role with Specific Media. Worrell’s work has been covered by BBC, The Daily Mirror, Wall Street Journal and Sky News, and he is a sought after speaker at international industry events such as IAB Engage and DMEXCO.

     

    Turner joins as strategy director with a background in PR. He has experience working with clients such as Mars Food, John Frieda and Group Lactalis, latterly as planning director at Zenith Optimedia. He is also an aspiring stand-up comedian.

     

    Giannelli joins as a strategist. He comes to MEC from TBWA/OMD working with Apple, and previous to that an independent creative agency in Florence, Italy.

    Shula Sinclair joined MEC as strategy partner in September 2013, from DraftFCB where she was regional planning director. After 17 years in the industry, Sinclair has expertise across numerous sectors including FMCG, finance, automotive, travel, and beauty. She has delivered a range of activity across multiple channels from ATL and digital to PR for a host of major brands including Hyundai, Oreo and Nivea. Her work has been recognised with several industry awards.

     Andy Reynolds joined MEC as strategy partner earlier in 2014. He came from OMD where he was the executive director of strategy working as lead strategist on pan-regional clients such as Sony, PepsiCo and Nissan. He has a strong focus on integrated communications – ATL, digital in all its forms, and branded entertainment. Since joining MEC, his work with Paramount has won several industry awards, notably a gold at the recent M&M awards.

    This announcement follows those made by the agency within digital, data and analytics, and cements MEC Global Solutions’ position as the Centre of International Excellence for clients across the EMEA region.