Astralis Posts a 45% Year-On-Year Rise in Net Revenue

Danish eSports giant Astralis Group recently published its figures from the 2021 fiscal year, cementing the brand as a team very much on the up. Astralis is one of the leading contenders for the CS:GO ESL Pro League this season, which is experiencing ever-increasing coverage from the leading online bookmakers. This includes some of the sites like Virgin Bet, which was recently rated and reviewed by oddschecker for the calibre of its betting markets and bonus structures.

It's little surprise that events such as the CS:GO ESL Pro League are garnering large-scale coverage of pre-game and in-play markets, particularly given the rising popularity of eSports teams like Astralis that are becoming embedded in popular culture. Astralia Group experienced a 45% year-on-year increase in net revenue last year, rising from £5.75m in 2020 to £8.37m in 2021. The report states that this growth is “in line with expectations” internally.

The organisation’s 2021 report reveals its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) had also risen from -£1.62m in 2019 to -£881,600 in 2021. Despite this, the team posted a pre-tax loss of £3.93m last year, although the decline of its purchase price linked to team acquisitions totalled £2.61m.

Last year, the Astralis organisation launched professional teams in two new gaming specialisms and entered new leagues in burgeoning markets. This was underpinned by the launch of its dedicated Astralis Nexus gaming centre in the heart of the Danish capital Copenhagen. In addition, the organisation underwent significant overhauls of its in-house divisions spanning commercial, digital and content services, as well as tweaks to its roster of contracted players. Earlier this year, three more players left the Astralis roster, with magisk, dupreeh and zonic all departing to sign on the dotted line for Team Vitality. Bubzkji was also released from an 18-month contract toward the end of January.

As for the team’s fiscal outlook in 2022, it’s hoped that net revenue will reach £10m, representing a 20% year-on-year rise. Forecasts also suggest that EBIDTA will improve further still between a range of £0 and £558,000.

Anders Horsholt, CEO of the Astralis Group, described last year’s figures as “satisfactory” and that it was a “pleasure” for the organisation to “grow” and recruit “a lot of young, skilled talent” to its roster. Horsholt confirmed the team has plenty of “ambitious targets” to hit, both this year and beyond.

Commercial deal with hummel extended to 2025

The Astralis Group has a multitude of commercial partnerships, but none more so important than its arrangement with compatriots hummel. The world leading sportswear brand will now handle the Astralis team’s e-commerce store, as well as its branded retail merchandise across B2B and B2C markets.

The extension of its arrangement with hummel has seen a new two-year contract extension agreed, taking their association up until 2025. Astralia originally signed a three-year deal with hummel in 2020, with the brand supplying all of its teams with branded sportwear, including team jerseys and training wear. Kasper Sindt, commercial director at Astralis Group, described the extension of its partnership with hummel as “significant” resulting in “increased commercial value” to the organisation.

Elsewhere this year, Astralis Group has secured commercial partnerships with matchmaking portal Esportal, creating a vibrant way for Astralis fans to connect with one another in a fun, safe and competitive gaming environment. It has also teamed up with major European telecommunications firm 3, with its involvement linked to the new state-of-the-art Astralis Nexus facility in Copenhagen. 3 will supply the venue’s 5G network capabilities, ensuring the perfect breeding ground for new eSports talent at Astralis.

Astralis has also teamed up with Danish chewing gum brand Stimorol, with the brand due to partake in activation at its Astralis Nexus campus. Under the terms of the arrangement, there will be new “digital and physical experiences” created between the two brands, along with additional marketing content developed by agency Dentsu X. The most recent content partnership saw the brands collaborate on the slogan ‘Dare to shoot for the stars’.