Nielsen Appoints Matthew Yazge Head of North American Esports Division

Yazge now also leads Nielsen’s esports advisory board

Matthew Yazge. Photo: Nielsen

Nielsen’s former vice president of brand partnerships in its music and film divisions Matthew Yazge is now the company’s head of esports.

Yazge will oversee commercial sales and client services in Nielsen’s esports division and also joins its esports advisory board. In addition to his gaming expertise, Yazge frequently advises Nielsen on its diversity and inclusion and LGBTQ+ initiatives in Southern California. He replaces Nicole Pike, Nielsen’s former director of esports, gaming and its games research outfit SuperData. Pike left the company July 15 for a role at analytics firm YouGov where she also analyzes esports.

Nieslen’s managing director of sports Jon Stainer said in a statement Thursday evening, “Matthew’s passion for esports and gaming combined with his deep understanding of brands and sponsorships make him the ideal leader for esports at Nielsen.”

Yazge has filled several roles in his nine years working for Nielsen, but his main focus was generating commercial sales and sponsorships in fashion and branded entertainment markets.

“In this new role, I look forward to tapping my deep understanding of brands and their needs to help them understand the high value of the hard-to-reach esports fanbase and massive opportunities to align with content and major players to meet marketing objectives,” Yazge said.

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