GROUPE AB HAS ENTERED INTO AN EXCLUSIVE TV PARTNERSHIP WITH ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, THE WORLD LEADER IN
Paris, France, October 24, 2017. Groupe AB has announced it has signed an exclusive agreement with Activision Blizzard, the world leader in video games. Pursuant to such agreement Groupe AB shall have exclusive TV broadcasting rights in French-speaking Europe for the franchises of the American giant, the world leader in eSport. Amongst them are several of the games most played in the world such as Call Of Duty, Hearthstone or even World Of Warcraft.
Beginning in December, Groupe AB shall create on one of its channels two three-hour program blocks entirely dedicated to eSport and broadcasting the best of the competitions based on the Activision Blizzard franchises. The agreement also provides that Groupe AB shall have an option to launch an eSport channel that shall be the exclusive TV broadcaster of Activision Blizzard programs in addition to the contents of other publishers. Groupe AB thus intends to take into account the growing place of eSport, in particular with millennials. The two groups shall simultaneously work together in order to develop synergies in terms of promotion and marketing so as to notably organize eSport events and competitions in France.
About Groupe AB
Groupe AB is a leading independent editor, producer and distributor of audiovisual content in French-speaking Europe. It is primarily involved in producing and distributing series, television movies, cartoons and documentaries and in editing TV channels and bundled digital services. The group has a portfolio of 19 channels, widely distributed in French-speaking Europe and Africa. Groupe AB is one of the largest and most diversified content managers in France, with about 12,000 hours of programming in library and internal production of about 80 hours per year. Groupe AB is owned by Mediawan.
Further information is available on Groupe AB's website: www.groupe-ab.fr
About Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, is the world's most successful standalone interactive entertainment company. We delight hundreds of millions of monthly active users around the world through franchises including Activision's Call of Duty, Destiny and Skylanders, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, Diablo, StarCraft II, and Heroes of the Storm, and King's candy Crush, Pet Rescue, Bubble Witch and Farm Heroes. The company is one of the Fortune "100 Best Companies To Work For." Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard has operations throughout the world, and its games are played in 196 countries. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
The Stimconsul Limited consulting firm contributed to the preparation of this agreement.
