Youth sports-focused digital media startup Overtime is producing a new esports series called “The Gaming Life.” The docuseries will follow five Fortnite gamers who will compete under the name Team Overtime as they try to win $1 million in prize money.
The first part of the series was uploaded to Overtime’s YouTube channel last week and follows the five gamers meeting for the first time at the PAX West Fortnite tournament in Seattle. The second part of the series follows the team as players competed in the Fall Skirmish finale at TwitchCon this weekend, which offered a $2.6 million prize pool. The Gaming Life is Overtime’s first attempt at creating esports-related content, as the company is normally angled toward producing high school basketball and football content for young followers to consume on social media.
“Overtime is about culture and Fortnite is loved by personalities ranging from Drake to Ben Simmons. We’re excited to cover eSports and feature content our people are passionate about,” said Overtime‘s head of production Dave Zigerelli, according to The Wrap. “It’s five strangers working together to chase the dream. It has heart, it’s funny and it’s perfect for binging.”
Overtime was founded in 2016 by Dan Porter, who was previously Head of Digital at William Morris Endeavor. The company initially found success by by uploading viral social media highlights featuring some of the country’s top high school basketball and football athletes. It has received significant investments from both Kevin Durant and former NBA Commissioner David Stern.
SportTechie Takeaway
Over the past two years, Overtime has attracted a huge following among Generation Z, posting high school sports content across varying social media platforms. Business Insider reported last year that Overtime videos reach 11 million unique users a month—95 percent of whom are on mobile and under 25.
Becoming involved with esports makes total sense for Overtime since the esports industry is powered by the younger generations—from both an audience standpoint and in terms of professional gamers. The fact that a sports media company is sponsoring its own professional video game team shows the effect the esports boom is having on the traditional sports ecosystem.