Heina told SBJ in a prepared statement: "I am not sure any other data provider offers the same level of insight and innovation to esports and gaming analytics as YouGov." YouGov has seen a huge increase in relationships with properties, sponsors, and rights holders in the past year. "I am excited by the prospect of building on this throughout Europe and Asia." joins a growing list of former Nielsen and SuperData executives and employees who quietly moved on following the discontinuation of SuperData-branded products and services earlier this year. Former VP Product and Business Development Sam Barberie left in early 2020; former Nielsen Engineering and Innovation Lead and SuperData VP of Technology Albert Ngo left in July of this year; and former Head of Research and Strategy, Games and XR Stephanie Llamas also left in July.
In January 2018, Heina moved from the role of senior consultant at Nielsen Sports (where he served as head of esports Europe) to that of Head of Esports International. In a 2017 interview with The Esports Observer, Heina said that when he learned Nielsen would begin tracking data for esports, he insisted on being part of the team because he saw a lot of potential growth, especially in Europe and Germany.
Nielsen continues to track gaming and esports business data, but its acquisition of SuperData, which was hoped would bolster its existing operations, led to the company absorbing its brand, staff, and products. Nielsen acquired SuperData Research in late 2018, with plans to enhance its gaming and esports products, including Nielsen Gaming and Nielsen Esports, with SuperData's products, services, and data. It became clear in March that the company was moving on from SuperData, informing clients and staff about its closure at the time.

 This post is ad-supported
​