Charlie Cowdrey Appointed CEO of JioBLAST to Lead BLAST-Reliance Esports Venture in India
Charlie Cowdrey appointed CEO of JioBLAST as BLAST and Reliance aim to reshape Indian esports with new IPs, mobile-first events, and pro tournaments.
It was a few months back when we covered that a very big development was about to be happening the the Indian gaming industry, which was a monumental partnership of Reliance Industries with BLAST.tv. Now it's taking its shape as BLAST has appointed Charlie Cowdrey as CEO of JioBLAST. JioBLAST is a joint venture of BLAST and RISE, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited. It has been specially designed to serve the Indian gaming industry's demands.
For those unfamiliar with him, Cowdrey has been a key member of BLAST. He has played a crucial role in BLAST's international expansion over the past four years. This includes overseeing relationships with Epic Games for Rocket League and Fortnite, and with other popular publishers' engagement. As he is heading to Mumbai, he is all set to lead the Indian market with the full backing of two giants behind him.
JioBLAST Appoints Charlie Cowdrey as CEO: What This Means for Indian Esports
By the way, you should also know why this partnership is crucial, especially from the Indian Esports and Gaming perspective. India already has over 600 million gamers, yet the country still lags in esports infrastructure, consistent tournament ecosystems, and global-level production. That is where this partnership found its base. The joint venture aims to address these gaps by building end-to-end solutions. This will include works like IP creation and production studios to local tournament management and digital-first fan engagement through JioGames.
As the partnership goal mentions that they will try to create something built for India. So you can expect mobile-first tournaments and scalable, broadcast-ready events to be all part of the plan. As RISE has plenty of experience in sports broadcasting, such as the Indian Super League and Kabaddi League, it can also push the gaming broadcasting as close to mainstream sports in terms of popularity and commercial viability.
There is no doubt that India is a unique market that has its own challenges, such as a fragmented regional audience, culture, accessibility, and a lack of formal esports education. Cowdrey has a big challenge ahead of him, but definitely an opportunity ahead of us is also enormous, and BLAST and Reliance think that Cowdrey is the best person to lead this venture and is well-equipped for the challenge.
Written By: Ashish Jha, India Today Gaming
