Cinedigm and The Wham Network will launch The WHAM Network streaming channel in Q3 with a focus on gaming lifestyle and eSports. The companies will jointly operate and market the channel, which will be available across all major connected mobile devices, gaming consoles and set-top boxes. Additionally, the companies are in talks with other platforms, skinny bundle providers and cable operators in order to make the channel broadly available on all modes of distribution.
Founded in 2016 by Gary Kleinman with a dedicated team of native gamers, entertainment, media and advertising professionals, WHAM has over twenty original series slated for production, with a target of at least 160 hours of original programming in 2017.
“ESports and gaming are fast becoming a lifestyle and culture and there is a gap in the coverage of how gaming impacts not only professional gamers, but society as a whole,” Kleinman told [a]istdaily. “With the broad impact of gaming, it is prime time to cover news and information about the global world of gaming, coupled with original entertainment programming.”
Early content will range from news, celebrity gaming and documentaries to reality shows, gaming competitions and live event coverage. Kleinman described how the content will differ from current livestreaming giants like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. “These platforms, for the most part, cover the games and competition themselves and do not focus solely on lifestyle and culture in the gaming world,” he said. “WHAM will cover (through an OTT environment) all of the gaming stories that impact and touch our lives—whether it is a gaming tournament, celebrity gaming or where and how to obtain gainful employment in the global business.”
Some of the shows in development for 2017 include Good Morning Gamers, Celebrity Gaming, The Grill, WhamFam, eOasis, Wham Live, The Quad, The New Best and I Know. “We are focused not only on the games and competition, but more importantly, on the stories that make up the lifestyle of gaming,” Kleinman said. “This includes how gaming reduces the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease to how gaming is utilized in early education to foster learning to what does it take to become a professional gamer.”
ESports will be a big part of this new network, but streaming live events like the recent IEM Katowice or upcoming DreamHack Austin won’t be part of the game plan. “We see eSports as an integral part of programming from the story of the players, the dynamic of teams, college competition and the lifestyle of being a professional gamer,” Kleinman said. “We will not stream games.”
Kleinman said this new streaming network will open up opportunities for sponsors and companies interested in eSports and the gaming lifestyle. “Brands can create unique and customized messaging to the target audience with credible messages whether by sponsorship, brand partnerships, branded integration, sponsored content and syndicated content,” Kleinman said.
In addition to the streaming network, WHAM will host a consumer gaming festival in Los Angeles this October called Button Mash Live. Kleinman said this show will tie in sponsorships across the convention and digital channel through cross promotion, value add, additional messaging opportunities and unique experiences tying digital placement with experiential activation.
“The first event will be in the Los Angeles area and only for one day as a teaser for a three-day outdoor festival,” Kleinman said. “We are not at liberty to discuss participants and expect the festival to be limited to 35,000 people.”
The WHAM Network is the fourth channel from Cinedigm’s rapidly growing Digital Networks Group, which plans, launches and operates both owned-and-operated and partner networks. Currently, the company operates the factual network Docurama, the fandom lifestyle network CONtv, and the family-focused Dove Channel. Combined, the three channels have approximately 3.34 million app downloads, 610,000 registered users and approximately 80,000 active subscribers. The company plans to continue to pursue additional network partnerships in the coming months.
