Beasley Esports evolves to Outlaws Entertainment, furthering its commitment to creating and distributing content targeting Gen Z.
Adapting to a Changing Media Landscape
We believe a new era of sports competition and entertainment has shaken up the world as Gen Z continues to flex its growing influence on media. An entirely new breed of consumers – obsessed with digital content – have become addicted to video games, watching elite-level professional players and esports teams, following their favorite YouTube talent sensations, and participating in virtual events and all things pop-culture.
However, what makes this generation more difficult to reach is the increasing number of media platforms dominating the space, strategically designed to intuitively connect with a younger demo while monopolizing their time and influencing their spending power. There is no doubt that this generation sees the world very differently than the Boomers and Gen Xers before them and are challenging media companies like Beasley Media Group to rethink how we engage with this unprecedented and powerful cohort.
The Inception of Beasley Esports & Outlaws Entertainment
Our next-gen-focused division, launched back in September 2018, has been charged with growing Beasley Media Group’s audiences and connections with the world’s youngest demo and largest generation of consumers. Over the past five years, BMG has extended its media expertise into the world of Gen Y and Z, targeting millions of young people fixated on video games, esports and the growing number of streamers that now comprise the Digital Creator Economy. And with more than 54% of this demographic now aspiring to become influencers, and the Creator Economy forecasted to hit half-a-trillion dollars by 2027, this is a force to be reckoned with. (GoldmanSachs.com; April 23, 2023)
Most noteworthy to date has been the Houston Outlaws professional Overwatch League esports team, one of Activision Blizzard’s twenty, NFL-style Overwatch League franchises acquired by Beasley Media Group back in November 2019. This investment enabled us to go from being a media company sitting on the sidelines of the video game industry — right onto the international stage, with a growth trajectory and performance that was nothing short of amazing.
Having finished our first year of ownership during the 2020 COVID season with a dismal #18 out of 20 worldwide ranking, we saw a meteoric rise to our rankings and fanbase, finishing #8 in 2021, #3 in 2022 and a 2nd place finish at the 2023 Grand Finals — which turned out the be the final year of the legendary Overwatch League.
Additionally, we expanded our esports roster in 2021 to target younger and more mainstream audiences by creating Team AXLE and played as a top North American Rocket League Championship Series Team for two consecutive seasons. We are now proud to support one of the world’s most acclaimed Fortnite competitors, beginning our association with one of the world’s most celebrated video games that touts over 350 million registered uses.
While the competitive gaming and esports industry continues to mature — comprised of Tier 1 and Tier 2 leagues, players, games, and viewership audiences that could someday rival those of traditional sports — the industry continues to experience growing pains. Meaningful sponsorships, media valuations, ROI, and in-person events and venues are still required to help the industry achieve its undeniable potential.
Tapping into this next-gen audience by creating and distributing content that matters to them is what Beasley Media Group is committed to mastering as we look towards the future. Fortunately, the Outlaws IP continues to be recognized as one of the most popular and well-known brands in competitive gaming — giving us the ability to rally our 4 million+ fans on behalf of partners as we evolve into Outlaws Entertainment, an entertainment brand for Gen Z.
We operate as a Talent Agency, Creative Services Team, and Media Distribution Partner for our brands, affording them access to our young and authentically real media personalities that define YouTube and social media as their content hubs. Our assets range from scripted & improv VOD content that is distributed across a multitude of media channels including YouTube, to live streams & broadcasts, in-person & virtual events, video gaming & esports competitions and tournaments, content bootcamps and social media. While Houston may be our home, our diverse group of personalities know no boundaries and subscribe to the Outlaws Live Forever mantra.
Collaborations with Outlaws Entertainment
Out target audience of internet kids, born into a world where the internet, cellphones and social media have been in existence for as long as they can remember, has allowed this demographic to prioritize video content, video games, live streaming, and music as their favorite forms of entertainment. They consistently log countless hours on media platforms that are defining their generation — including YouTube, Twitch and X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, Discord, Kick, SnapChat and BeReal — and undoubtedly more in the pipeline!
Beasley Media Group has deliberately seeded our company into this globally-dominant, technology-advanced, younger ecosystem to monetize our media by entertaining these highly-elusive, hard to reach consumers — just as we have done for the past sixty years with our live and local radio offerings. We continue to have our fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in real time and have introduced a roster of popular talent that includes high-profile professional & casual video gamers that are also pop culture mavens, possess the ability to influence and were born to entertain (and game) with their camera-savvy chops!
Outlaws Entertainment offers a fun escape from life’s pressure — be it from school, friends, financial or family challenges by presenting an optimistic outlook on the Gen Z lifestyle.
The Future
As we look ahead, the future has never looked more exciting! Our diverse roster of young, charisma-infused content creators reveal their personalities on-camera and possess the innate ability to entertain, move the needle and create a tremendous amount of trust with their target audience of 16-27 year-olds (and those younger that are aspiring up!) producing and distributing content daily on our many media platforms.
Connecting With Fans 24/7
We connect with fans 24/7 on their media platforms of choice.
Given our fanbase, we are committed to serving up content on a multitude of different platforms to meet these fans where they are, maximizing their attention and access.
Our pre-packaged VOD content is available on YouTube. Additionally, we produce hundreds of streaming hours each month on Twitch and Kick, and of course, release a ton of content across all our social media channels and websites to entertain our growing fanbase.
Outlaws Entertainment Group O&O Channels Include:
Promo Videos
YouTube
Twitch
Our content creators serve as brand ambassadors for the organization and include their personal communities in all #OutlawsNation efforts.
The Outlaws Entertainment Gaming Network can be deployed to extend assets onto our Beasley O&O digital channels, esports.gg, and other strategically targeted audiences (including our daily Game Pop and Esports Quick Hits radio spots running on approximately 125 radio music and sports stations each week) for campaigns to warrant increased national scale.
