Nazara subsidiary Nodwin Gaming to buy 51% in Singapore-based live events firm Branded

Branded owns properties such as entertainment and sports event All That Matters and women-centric event It’s a Girl Thing among others.

Nodwin Gaming, an e-sports subsidiary of Nazara Technologies, said on April 4 that it has signed definitive agreements to pick up 51 percent stake in Singapore-based live events firm Branded in an all-cash deal of up to $1.3 million, as the company looks to boost its international presence.

In a stock market filing, the company said the deal is being done by Nodwin Gaming's Singapore subsidiary Nodwin Gaming International Pte Ltd through a combination of primary capital infusion and secondary stock purchases from the existing shareholder of Branded. Nodwin Gaming will use its internal cash reserves to fund the transaction.

Founded by media veteran Jasper Donat and Michael Denmark in 2001, Branded owns and operates several platforms such All That Matters, a premiere conference and connections hub that includes sub brand events such as Music Matters, Sports Matters, Gaming Matters, Marketing Matters, Arts Matters, Live Matters, Digital Matters and most recently Learning Matters.

It also produces It’s A Girl Thing, an empowerment platform and touring festival for young women and Creator World, an event platform for young influencers. The company has previously conducted events such as YouTube FanFest, VidCon Asia summit and Tencent Music Connects across the Asia-Pacific region. Denmark exited the company in November 2012.

Growing Nodwin's international revenues

With this acquisition, Nodwin Gaming will acquire all of Branded’s event IPs including ‘All That Matters’, ‘It’s a Girl Thing’ and ‘CreatorWorld’. It will also onboard an international team led by Donat that will focus on growing the company's international sponsorship revenue across all of Nodwin Gaming's IPs in India and across the world.

“We are excited to bring Branded into our fold at Nodwin Gaming adding its multiple facets to expand and grow our ecosystem. IPs like 'Gaming Matters', 'Sports Matters' and ‘It’s A Girl thing’ will add a new dimension to what we already offer. We will also look at the talented branded team taking our existing IPs such as Playground, The Premiership, NH7 and others international,” said Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, Nodwin Gaming.

The e-sports firm had earlier acquired the gaming and adjacent IP businesses of OML Entertainment for Rs 73 crore in September 2021, including the popular NH7 Weekender music festival.

It had also picked up a 10.26 percent stake in digital media firm Rusk Media for Rs 10 crore in December 2021; purchased comic, pop culture and superheroes merchandising retailer Planet Superheroes for Rs 4.9 crore in January 2022; and picked up 35 percent stake in gaming accessories maker Brandscale Innovations that makes high-quality and affordable gaming audio gear under the brand name Wings.

The e-sports segment, which includes Nodwin Gaming and Sportskeeda, is the biggest vertical for Nazara Technologies, accounting for about 49 percent of its topline for the first nine months of the financial year 2023.

Nodwin Gaming's revenues surged 98 percent to Rs 280.3 crore for the first nine months of the financial year 2023, led by offline events such as Dreamhack, and NH7 weekender as well as creation of new international IPs, Nazara Technologies said in its earnings results on January 24.

Meanwhile, Branded posted a turnover of SGD 755,644 (Rs 4.68 crore) for 2022, marginally down from SGD 761,831 (Rs 4.71 crore) in 2021. The company mentions that is also provides brands such as Coca-Cola, Tinder, Snap, Unilever, Intel, Grab, WPP and Ogilvy with online and offline event strategy, partnership and execution services among others.

In October 2018, global digital marketing firm Dentsu Aegis Network had acquired Branded for an undisclosed amount. However, Branded says on its website that it exited Dentsu in 2020 to become an independent digital event producer.

“Over the past few years Branded has transformed from a live event IP creator and producer to a live media company. We are looking forward to expanding our existing events and IP and co-creating new, exciting properties around the APAC region and beyond” Donat said in a statement.