NAVI: the business behind winning S14

CS:GO and the ESL Pro League have never been so strong. Season 14’s final had over 758,000 people watching, giving EPL S14 the highest peak viewership for an online CS:GO tournament, ever.?

What I love about the Pro League is that there’s nowhere to hide, it’s a very pure and distilled test of stamina, strategy and consistency. Teams and players work hard for every game - and they have to; a lucky streak won’t carry you to the final. Every team has to be all-in, and that’s a unique point of pride for the Pro League.

And CSGO history always seems to get written at the Pro League: last season’s cadiaN clutch had talent falling out of their chairs; this year s1mple, boombi4, perfecto, b1t and electronic realised their potential and took home the Intel Grand Slam.

It’s been an incredibly busy week for the CIS team, but I managed to briefly speak to NAVI and bring the focus onto the business side of what winning Season 14 meant for them, and how moments like this highlight the opportunities for brands and partners within the Pro League.?

Here’s what they had to say:

ALEX: Thanks for taking some time to talk with us Yevhen. I appreciate there must be a lot going on behind the curtain in NAVI right now, but as you celebrate your Season 14 victory I wanted to talk to you about the business side of things, which doesn’t often get enough air-time, but is a vital part of the Pro League project, especially for Partner Teams like NAVI.

Obviously you have multiple partnerships with well-known brands, as do other Pro League teams, so this is nothing new; but what makes the CS:GO community and Pro League such a good audience? What does this win mean for NAVI and your sponsors?

NAVI: Thanks Alex and happy to chat.?This is of course a fantastic result for the players and for our sponsors. For any brands looking to get into esports, the Pro League is one of the best places to do it. All you have to do is just look at the viewership numbers and you’ll see why. [above]

ALEX: Sure, of course; we know now that your final match with Vitality had over 758,000 people watching, giving Season 14 of the Pro League the highest peak viewership for an online CS:GO tournament, ever. What does that say about potential exposure in esports? What would you say to big brands that are playing with the idea of getting into the game?

NAVI: So, we’re supported by multiple brands including Monster Energy, Logitech, Puma, Raid Shadow Legends and many others. These range from tech, sportswear, mobile gaming, to fast-moving consumer goods and more - and that pretty much sums up the opportunities in Pro League and encapsulates broader esports. I think the exposure we give these brands and the relationships we have with the CS:GO and esports community is where we add worth; it’s that reach and connection to the audience that I think outside organisations and brands are starting to become aware of and should really value.?

For context, this is a quite difficult audience for brands to tap into. They’re young, they’re global, the majority is male, and they don’t usually stay in one virtual place for very long. But in the Pro League they’re engaged, and dedicated.?

ALEX: Can you expand on what you mean when you say ‘they’re global’??

NAVI: Of course, this audience I’m speaking about, the fans, the teams, the ecosystem, it's all around the world. NAVI and our sponsors are not just getting exposure in Ukraine or Russia because of our geography; we get coverage in France when we play Vitality, in Scandinavia when we go up against ENCE and Heroic, in North America when we play Evil Geniuses. The league takes our name and our sponsors all over the world.??

And It’s great for the fans too because they see their favourite teams growing and they see trusted partnerships being forged - it’s a win-win.?

ALEX: Speaking of win-win. NAVI didn't just win the Season, you also became the 3rd team ever to win the Intel Grand Slam. How did it affect your revenues in the Pro League??

NAVI: Winning Season 14 and getting the Intel Grand Slam was a phenomenal achievement by the team and validates all the reasons why we became a Partner Team. For the players, their consistency really paid off; they went home with the Season 14 prize money and the Grand Slam prize pool. For NAVI as a business, we gain the rewards of our business partnership with ESL as a Partner Team and get a cut of the Season 14 revenue share as well. All together this takes us to more than $2million in earnings from our participation this year and gives us so much more momentum to keep growing and investing back in our organisation.?

ALEX: What would you say to brands on the outside looking in? And to esports teams thinking of getting into CS:GO via the Pro League??

NAVI: I’d say that it’s moments like this where we really see the value of our efforts in the Pro Tour. We won because we delivered consistently in games, and that’s what we’re getting from our Pro League partnership through the Louvre Agreement as well - consistency. The two things together, consistent high performance and a stable, reliable? business partnership, makes all the difference. Take a look at ggbet, our main shirt sponsors: they were visible non stop for the seven hours of drama that unfolded on final Sunday. This kind of exposure and link to the passion and buzz of that back and forth - almost priceless! And that is before you factor in the rest of the tournament, the ESL content, our shoulder content, merchandise upticks bearing their brand. Having spoken to them in the last few days, they could not be happier!

ALEX: I’d like to ask one final question about s1mple and the relevance / impact these wins have had for his personal brand and NAVI. He is so renowned in CSGO, and NAVI have just launched the s1mple formula too - what does this mean for your exposure, branding and promotional power??

NAVI: It’s fantastic timing, s1mple has been a big factor in our victories; he got MVP and as you say, fortuitously, we just launched our documentary focused on him and his journey. It’s a very unique opportunity to tie everything together. We won EPL S14, because of that we won the IGS, because of that our exposure and awareness is booming, and that enables us to capitalise on promoting our stuff, like the s1mple formula. His performance and our success has already driven more new and existing fans to the documentary. Through that content, these viewers will learn more about how our partners invest in NAVI, how NAVI supports s1mple and how s1mple excels in this environment! Put simply, brands associated with s1mple and NAVI are intrinsically linked to excellence, and that is powerful.

ALEX: Thanks Yevhen, It’s been great to talk. I’m sure people will find this kind of conversation and insight into the business behind the NAVI name interesting. Any final thoughts before I let you go?

NAVI:? No problem at all it’s great to talk about this stuff and diversify the conversation, I hope brands and fans find it a useful glimpse into the world of esports business. I think Pro League is home to some of the best talent and best brands in CS:GO and that’s really valuable to potential partners, whether they are suppliers, sponsors, broadcasters or others. We’re very proud to be a partner in the Pro League and a driving force for the ESL Tour and the wider CS:GO ecosystem.??

To read more about NAVI’s Season 14 and Intel Grand Slam wins, visit their website news feed, and to watch the official highlights of the Season 14 final, head over to the ESL YouTube channel.

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