eSports
Entry into esports: Insurance group die Bayerische becomes new partner of Berlin International Gaming
The German insurance group breaks new ground and expands its sponsorship commitments to the market of esports. At the beginning of the 2021 season, die Bayerische will start as the official insurance partner of Berlin International Gaming (BIG), one of the most successful esports organizations in Europe. As BIG’s League of Legends team’s main partner, the insurance group also backs the department that has an EU Masters championship and multiple trophies under their belt.
“We have been watching the triumphant advance of esports in Europe with great enthusiasm for some time now,” says Martin Gräfer, member of the Board of Management of the insurance group die Bayerische. “With our commitment to Berlin International Gaming, we are now taking the first step in this young, dynamic and rapidly growing environment. It gives us immense pleasure to do this side by side with one of the absolute big players of German esports clubs. We can’t wait to go on a title hunt together with BIG and the BIG Family.”
“As a club, we are very honored to be able to accompany such a traditional insurance company as a partner in esports for the first time,” says Daniel Finkler, CEO Berlin International Gaming. “The partnership is another milestone in our history and shows the relevance of the German esports market. We are looking forward to a long-term cooperation.”
Based in Berlin, Berlin International Gaming (known worldwide by the acronym BIG) is one of the most successful European esports organizations. Currently, the German club employs top teams and players in the titles League of Legends, CS:GO, Quake, StarCraft, Valorant and Trackmania. Since 2017, the club has been able to establish itself at the top of the world and celebrate numerous respectable successes in various disciplines. BIG’s partner portfolio includes OMEN (HP), Corsair, Red Bull, Betway, SkinBaron, Backforce (Interstuhl) and Volvic.
BIG’s League Of Legends Team secured a total of six championships in 2019, including three Premier Tour wins and one German championship. The highlight of the team is considered to be winning the European Masters Summer 2019 in Katowice, Poland. Since 2020, the team has been playing in the Prime League, the most prestigious League Of Legends division in the DACH region.
As the official insurance partner of Berlin International Gaming, the two partners will develop target group-oriented esports products and services in the future.
As part of the partnership, die Bayerische acquires an extensive main partner rights package in League Of Legends as well as additional rights in the renowned game titles “Trackmania” with racing driver Dennis “Massa” Lotze and “StarCraft 2” with Tobias “ShoWTimE” Sieber.
Die Bayerische and Berlin International Gaming focus on brand visibility and addressing target groups via digital channels in all rights packages. In this way, the insurance group aims to raise its profile among the young target group and create added value for the esports community.
Since 2016, die Bayerische has been the main sponsor of the traditional football club TSV 1860 München and thus has a prominent presence in traditional sports as an insurance partner. In addition, the insurance company also supports clubs and projects in popular sports and is involved in social partnerships. The two brand ambassadors Samuel Koch and multiple Olympic champion Magdalena Neuner, brand ambassador of the sustainable insurance and pension brand Pangaea Life, round off the company’s current sponsorship portfolio.
The insurance group die Bayerische was founded in 1858 and consists of the companies Bayerische Beamten Lebensversicherung a.G. (parent company), BL die Bayerische Lebensversicherung AG and the composite company BA die Bayerische Allgemeine Versicherung AG. The total premium income of the Group amounts to over 600 million euros. The Group is continuously increasing its equity capital and is well above the industry average. Investments of over 4.8 billion euros are managed. More than 12,000 personal advisors are available to Bayerische customers throughout Germany. In a recent comprehensive company analysis, the rating agency Assekurata again awarded Neue Bayerische Leben a quality rating of A+ (“very good”), attesting to the company’s financial strength, which is far above the industry average.
Berlin International Gaming, known worldwide under the acronym BIG, is one of the most successful European Esport organizations with headquarters in Berlin. The German club currently employs top teams and players in the titles League of Legends, CS:GO, Quake, StarCraft, Valorant and Trackmania. Since 2017, the club has established itself at the top of the world rankings and celebrated numerous respectable successes in various disciplines. The partner portfolio of BIG includes OMEN (HP), Corsair, Red Bull, Betway, SkinBaron, Backforce (Interstuhl) and Volvic.
In 2019, the German club was able to secure a total of six League Of Legends championships. In addition to the three Premier Tour wins, they also finished the last ESL Championship season in first place. The highlight of the League Of Legends team has been the championship title of the European Masters Summer 2019 in Katowice. Since the beginning of 2020, the German team is playing in the Prime League, the highest rated national league in League Of Legends.
eSports
Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video
Prime Video, one of the leading entertainment destinations, will premiere the five-part documentary Esports World Cup: Level Up on June 6, with new episodes released weekly. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Elton John: Never Too Late and Martha), the series goes behind-the-scenes of the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2024 — a defining moment in global esports, where over $60 million in prize money ignited a high-stakes, multinational battle to crown the world’s top esports Club.
The series is produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with R.J. Cutler directing, John Dorsey serving as showrunner, and Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty executive producing. Level Up will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Esports World Cup: Level Up offers a rare look inside a global competition that’s redefining what it means to be a champion for a new generation of athletes and fans. R.J. Cutler and his team of expert storytellers embedded themselves within the eight-week tournament – watched by over 500 million fans globally – to uncover the personal sacrifices, rivalries and stakes driving the action.
Shot in verité style, the series combines intimate home visits from around the world and on-the-ground coverage from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It follows a wide cast of characters – from Club CEOs orchestrating million-dollar strategies to rising stars chasing life-changing wins – while capturing the pulse of elite esports competition.
“What drew me to the Esports World Cup was the compelling human stories unfolding within this high-stakes arena. Level Up isn’t just about the incredible competition and prize money; it’s about the dedication, the passion, and the sheer will of these athletes and teams pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Under high pressure, we discover the true character of the competitors who vie for $60 million, but who also expose their humanity in the process,” said Cutler.
At the heart of Level Up is the “EWC Club Championship,” an unprecedented, multi-title tournament format where Clubs compete across more than 20 games, earning points toward a single leaderboard. Every match, every point, reshapes the race for global dominance. With the highest prize pool in esports history on the line, the EWC is not just a tournament – it’s a proving ground for the next generation of sports icons.
“A win might make the headlines — but the real story is the people behind it. Level Up dives into the human side of esports: the pressure, the ambition, the sacrifices. It’s about what it really takes to compete at the highest level — and why it matters. R.J. is the best at bringing those stories to life, and this one captures the heart of what we’re building,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
The post Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Esports betting pioneer adds daily fantasy esports offering to its growing range of products, with its sights set on the US market
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, data and betting products, has continued to push boundaries with the launch of Daily Fantasy eSports, a truly groundbreaking product for operators and players.
Daily Fantasy eSports has been developed for the US market but will have global appeal with players drawn in by the chance to create virtual teams of real-life players and earn points based on their actual game performances.
Contests range from daily matchups to season-long leagues, with plenty of prizes up for grabs.
PandaScore’s Daily Fantasy eSports is backed by an expert-led esports trading team to deliver fast, accurate settlement data across unique, player-focused markets driven by the provider’s established and proven betting models.
An Interactive Player Widget serves up rich player stats and profiles, with PandaScore’s powerful BetBuilder enabling same-game parlays.
But that’s not all. PandaScore has more than 17,000 players in its esports player age and info database, the largest in the market.
It also offers dedicated helper codes and documentation to ensure smooth and seamless operator integration. It really is as easy as 1-2-3.
1 – There is a kick-off call to align on goals, timelines and fantasy formats.
2 – The operator accesses PandaScore’s dedicated fantasy-focused API to accelerate the build
3 – The dedicated integration manager ensures effortless onboarding and a successful launch
By leveraging PandaScore’s odds and data, alongside its team of experts and specialists, online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports operators can launch faster, ensure accuracy and scale their Daily Fantasy eSports offering with confidence.
Oliver Niner, Head of B2B at PandaScore, said: “Daily Fantasy eSports is a pioneering product from PandaScore that will really hit the mark with operators across North America, as well as other global markets.
“It allows operators to engage esports fans and bettors with a compelling product and proposition, but without the degree of risk that comes with standard betting as the payouts are controlled.
“Daily Fantasy eSports is already live with Dabble and is performing incredibly well, so we look forward to going live with more operators in the coming months.
“This really is a game-changing product, and we can’t wait to see it become available at some of the biggest betting brands in North America and beyond.”
The launch of Daily Fantasy eSports complements PandaScore’s growing esports betting offering, which includes odds and data for a huge number of disciplines, plus betting products like its BetBuilder, MicroMarkets and StoryBuilder.
The post PandaScore launches game-changing Daily Fantasy eSports product appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Esports Charts, a Ukraine-born analytics company that aggregates real-time viewership insights about esports, has won the Esports Innovation Award at the EsportsNext Industry Awards, hosted by the Esports Trade Association (ESTA) in Dallas, US.
The Esports Innovation Award recognizes an organization or individual that has introduced groundbreaking technology, services, or strategies significantly advancing the esports industry.
Esports Charts was honored for its scalable analytics platform, which provides comprehensive tournament and viewership statistics across more than 25 livestreaming services — helping stakeholders from publishers and teams to fans make smarter, data-driven decisions.
“Winning the Innovation Award from ESTA is an important milestone for us as a leading esports analytics service in the world. Also, we’re especially proud to represent Ukraine-born innovation on an international stage.
“From day one, our mission has been to bring clarity and transparency to the world of esports data. And this recognition from the industry is both an honor and a motivation to keep raising the bar.
“Thank you to our incredible team and partners, who believed in us from the start. This award is a shared success — and we’re just getting started,” Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts.
The post Esports Charts Wins “Esports Innovation Award” at the EsportsNext Industry Awards appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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