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Nippon TV establishes AX Entertainment, creates first eSports team

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TOKYO – Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV), Japan’s leading commercial broadcaster network and production powerhouse, has established AX Entertainment, a new eSports subsidiary company that will create its first eSports team AXIZ, a multi-gaming team comprised of professional gamers from various genres.

 

The first competition will be card games where the team will participate in RAGE Shadowverse Pro League, a professional online card game battleground.

 

In addition, the company will also debut its first 50-minute eSports show eGG (eSports Good Game) which will feature top professionals and documentation of players’ going through selection rounds, as well as the latest news on the world of eSports.

 

The show will present everything worth knowing about the exciting field in an easily understandable fashion. It is set to stream online on Nippon TV’s Catch Up service, Hulu Japan, TVer, GYAO!, and OPENREC. The show is available as a finished program for international sales.

 

This marks the first time a television broadcaster in Japan will own an eSports team and produce an eSports show.

 

“As the demographic of television viewers in Japan continues to age, Nippon TV is faced with limited opportunities to come into contact with the younger generations in their 10s and early 20s who do not spend time in front of the small screen,” commented Nippon TV’s eSports project team. “We decided to actively create opportunities to reach the non-TV viewing demographic by entering the globally-expanding eSports arena, a business model that focuses on the youth and enables them to be the primary players and audiences.”

 

Players for AXIZ will spearhead the efforts to bring excitement to Japan’s eSports scene through various activities such as participating in professional leagues and appearing in linear TV shows.

 

AXIZ is based on the word ‘axis’ and was selected as the team name with the hope that it will become the central figure in the world of eSports. The team logo is based on a narwhal, known for its tusk that extends towards the sky representing Nippon TV’s ambition of reaching success.