News broke this week that all of Team Dignitas’s investment ventures will be consolidated into a new holding company called Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.
Dignitas owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer own teams across many sectors of professional sports such as the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, NHL’s New Jersey Devils and the Premier League team Crystal Palace FC. Team Dignitas is their first esports venture which they acquired in late September of 2016 and merged with League of Legends Team Apex.
“As we continue to expand our scope in the world of professional sports and entertainment, we’re excited to launch Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment,” Harris stated. “We believe this endeavor allows us to continue to grow strategically and innovatively.”
The new holding company is planned to be used as Harris and Blitzer’s means of investing into their further global sports expansion. The company will also include a number of different franchises on top of Team Dignitas, including the 76ers, the Devils, the Delaware 87ers, the Binghamton Devils, the Sixers Innovation Lab, the Prudential Center as well as the GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center.
The new company brought in David Sholler as the VP for Communications as well as various promotions including moving Chris Heck to President of the Sixers.
CEO of the 76ers, Devils and the Prudential Center Arena, Scott O’Neil, echoed Harris’s statement about expansion, stating that he is committed to the brand’s growth.
“The commitment to growth, which started with the acquisition of the Philadelphia 76ers, has quickly emerged as a growing and dynamic sports and entertainment company. The formation of HBSE is a signal that this is just the beginning of an incredible future.”
Esports Insider says: Establishing Team Dignitas as its own entity as opposed to an esports team belonging to two NBA team owners, demonstrates a further interest into investing in the esports industry.