eSports
Expansion of broadcast rights with Activision Blizzard: SPORT1 acquires extensive rights to leading esports titles for the German-speaking and pan-European regions
Overwatch League, Hearthstone Masters Tour and Grandmasters as well as World of Warcraft with Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International live and in highlights on both channels eSPORTS1 and eSportsONE
Activision Blizzard is expanding its distribution rights with SPORT1‘s pan-European channel project, following the conclusion of their initial two-year deal signed with the launch of eSPORTS1 in 2019. The multi-year agreement renews the TV-exclusive rights to the Overwatch League from the start of the season on April 16 across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The deal also extends the rights to the Hearthstone Masters Tour and Grandmasters for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, along with eSportsONE in the European region. New in the program portfolio is World of Warcraft with the events Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International, with their respective Season 1 finals taking place April 23-25 and May 1-2.
Brandon Snow, Chief Revenue Officer – Leagues: “SPORT1 has been key in introducing new fans to Overwatch League and Hearthstone throughout Europe and the German speaking region. We are thrilled to continue bringing these epic competitions to all of our fans in the region, while expanding this deal with World of Warcraft’s premier programs.“
Daniel von Busse, COO TV and Member of the Management of Sport1 GmbH: “By extending our partnership with Activision Blizzard to the pan-European region, we gain another central content partner for our first international channel project. The extension of our cooperation with one of the most important global players strengthens the portfolio of our two pay channels for the coming years and, together with our other partners, forms a strong basis for further growth in the esports area.“
Overwatch League has started new season on April 16
The Overwatch League is the first global esports league with teams from numerous world cities in Asia, Europe and North America. On April 16, 2021, the Overwatch League started its fourth season – divided into an East Region with eight teams and a West Region with twelve teams. The four tournament series are spread throughout the year and end with the competitions “May Melee“, “June Joust“, “Summer Showdown“ and “Countdown Cup“. The top four teams in the East and the top six in the West then compete against each other in a knockout format, with the crowning glory being the top two teams from each region playing each other in the grand tournament final. The prize money totals 4.25 million USD.
Hearthstone Masters Tour and Grandmasters are in full-swing
Hearthstone is the world‘s most popular digital competitive card game. In 2021, six Masters Tour events will take place, all of which will be played online. The season kicked off last month with the Masters Tour Eisenschmiede. Masters Tour tournaments award points toward qualifying for the Hearthstone Grandmasters. Each Masters Tour event has a prize pool of 250,000 USD. In the Hearthstone Grandmasters, which began April 9, players compete in weekly tournaments for the first seven weeks of the season. After the seventh week, playoff participation will be decided based on total points. The champions from all three regions will be up for a spot in the 2021 World Championship later this year.
World of Warcraft (WoW) new in the portfolio of eSPORTS1 and eSportsONE
Starting this year, the two channels will also show World of Warcraft (WoW) for the first time: The Arena World Championship (AWC) has been divided into two different seasons for its 14th edition. In the Circuit, the top 8 teams compete for a prize pool of 160,000 USD in March and April. The top four teams will play in the finals of Season 1 for 200,000 USD on May 1-2. Season 2 will then start directly at the Circuit in July and August – with the fight for the four slots in the Grand Finals and the championship title of the AWC: Shadowlands Champions 2021. The Mythic Dungeon International (MDI) also includes two Seasons in 2021 – with a total prize pool of 750,000 USD. There will be four cups per season – the first season Global Finals took place April 23-25.
24/7 program for the esports community: What eSPORTS1 and eSportsONE offer
eSPORTS1 started in January 2019 as the first linear TV channel for esports in the German-speaking region. The program includes at least 1,200 live hours of top-class international and national esports events as well as highlight shows and in-house produced magazines. eSPORTS1 is currently distributed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via the pay-TV platforms of Vodafone, Unitymedia, Deutsche Telekom, 1&1, T-Mobile Austria, A1 Telekom, UPC Switzerland, Swisscom blue TV, Amazon Channels, Zattoo and Waipu.tv. On each of these platforms, the channel is offered in selected program packages. In addition, eSPORTS1 can also be booked as a live stream in the eSPORTS1 app.
After the successful launch of eSPORTS1, Sport1 GmbH implemented a pan-European channel project for the first time with the start of eSportsONE. The 24/7 program of eSportsONE comprises over 1,000 live hours per year of top-class international esports events as well as exclusive, self-produced analysis formats. eSportsONE is currently offered in Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as in Norway and Sweden via M7’s pay-TV platforms – TV Vlaanderen, CanalDigitaal and Skylink – and Telenor.
Central content partners of Sport1 GmbH besides Activision Blizzard are ESL, NBA 2K League and Psyonix with the esports titles Dota 2, Starcraft 2, Warcraft 3, NBA 2K and Rocket League.
The acquisition will see Team Vitality continue to forge its path to becoming one of the only truly international esports organisations, by entering the mobile gaming market in new regions and markets
Leading esports club, Team Vitality, is proud to announce the acquisition of Indonesian esports organisation, Bigetron Esports, following a deal with one of the most powerful mobile gaming esports brands globally. The move will strengthen Team Vitality’s presence in the mobile gaming market as well as extend the brand’s reach further into the Southeast Asian region, continuing to forge its path to become a truly global, multifaceted presence across all elements of esports.
Bigetron by Vitality: A strategic move into Southeast Asia and mobile gaming
The acquisition places Team Vitality in a strategically important gaming market – Southeast Asia. With a population of over 270 million, and more than 30% of whom are under 30, Indonesia represents a vibrant and highly engaged audience for esports. The country is home to over 100 million gamers, making it the fourth-largest gaming market in the world. Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, is also one of the fastest-growing regions for mobile gaming, with a remarkable 20% year-over-year revenue growth.
As part of the move, Bigetron Esports’ brand identity will change to ‘Bigetron by Vitality’, to show respect to the club’s local legacy while allowing Team Vitality to integrate the brand authentically and exclusively into all future mobile gaming activities. Bigetron Esports CEO, Edwin Chia, alongside Team Vitality’s Co-Founder CEO, Nicolas Maurer and Corporate Director of Global Operations, Danny Engels, will work together as the respective leads for Vitality’s mobile gaming entity.
This acquisition marks a significant step in Team Vitality’s expansion into mobile gaming, following the 2024 acquisition of Bigetron’s Women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang roster. Prompting a deeper exploration of the mobile esports space, Bigetron represents a fantastic addition to help introduce and grow the Vitality brand within this fast-growing and dynamic segment of the industry.
Bigetron Esports has built a formidable reputation in the mobile gaming world, with an impressive social media presence across multiple platforms, totaling over 6.8 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp. As part of this acquisition, all Bigetron social media channels will be rebranded to align with Team Vitality as ‘ Bigetron by Vitality’, integrating seamlessly into the broader Team Vitality network.
Bigetron is one of the few Southeast Asian organisations with an established footprint in four key mobile gaming titles, a strong competitive track record, and existing partnerships with gaming industry leaders Moonton and Tencent. Following the deal, Team Vitality will be represented by the organisation’s existing key rosters and talent including:
- Men’s Mobile Legends Bang Bang Team: Competing in the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League Indonesia (MPL ID), the organization recently secured 3rd place in the highly competitive league operated by game publisher Moonton, with a notable peak viewership of an astonishing 4 million.
- PUBG Mobile Team: With total prize winnings exceeding $1.2 million, Bigetron has made multiple World Championship appearances, including the 2024 World Championship, and holds World Championship titles from 2019 and 2020.
- Free Fire Team: Champions of the Free Fire World Series (FFWS) Indonesian Fall 2024. The team also earned a spot in the Free Fire World Series Grand Finals 2024.
- Honor of Kings Team: The Honor of Kings team recently triumphed in the Indonesian Qualifier for the HoK Invitational Season 3 and became a partner team in the newly established Professional Honor of Kings League in Indonesia.
- Women’s Mobile Legends Bang Bang team: Following acquiring the team in 2024, Bigetron will offer additional support, resources and infrastructure to further support the roster ahead of the Esports World Cup in 2025.
- Additionally, Bigetron has assembled a lineup of Southeast Asian brand ambassadors with a combined social media following of over 27 million, all of whom will further amplify the clubs partnership with Team Vitality throughout the region
All of the above teams that qualify for the Esports World Cup will represent Team Vitality and compete under the Team Vitality banner and team name. Following this, teams competing in Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Free Fire tournaments will do so as Bigetron by Vitality, marking the full integration of Bigetron into the Team Vitality network.
| TEAM VITALITY IN FIGURES
After Bigetron Esports acquisition
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Ambitious international plans for 2025
With ambitious plans for international expansion, Team Vitality is setting its sights on reaching new heights in esports throughout 2025. This year, the organisation is focused on securing victories, strengthening its legacy, and pioneering the esports industry into the new generation. This commitment not only supports Team Vitality as one of the world’s leading esports powerhouses but also contributes towards the broader success of the organisation on a global scale.
“We are thrilled to announce our acquisition of Bigetron Esports.” said Nicolas Maurer, CEO of Team Vitality “As the popularity of mobile gaming continues to soar, particularly with younger generations growing up on mobile games, Team Vitality is proud to support shaping the long-term future of mobile gaming esports together with the Bigetron leadership team. This acquisition marks an important step in our internationalisation as well as becoming the best gaming organization in the world.”
“The merger was driven by our shared vision with Team Vitality to inspire and empower gamers to achieve greatness through innovation, collaboration, and relentless dedication to excellence. We believe alongside Team Vitality, we can continue achieving greatness and showcasing the stellar Indonesian esports talent on an expansive international stage.” commented the CEO of Bigetron Esports, Edwin Chia.
The post Team Vitality accelerates global growth with acquisition of Bigetron Esports appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Skyesports announced today that iQOO has joined the Skyesports Championship 2025, India’s longest-running homegrown esports IP, as the title sponsor for the BGMI Grand Finals.
Scheduled to take place from May 15th to 18th, 2025, the Grand Finals will feature the top 16 teams from across India, narrowed down through open qualifiers that attracted thousands of aspiring players from all parts of the country, competing for the ultimate title and a share of the INR 17.5 lakhs prize pool.
With India’s best teams in action, the Grand Finals serve as the perfect platform to highlight the iQOO Neo 10, the fastest smartphone in the segment, powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor. The device enables esports-level gaming with 144 FPS, making it well-suited for high-performance mobile competition.
iQOO Neo 10 joins industry leading brands including ‘powered by’ partner AMD along with associate partners, Western Digital, Red Bull, and GIGABYTE.
Adding to the excitement, the iQOO Neo 10 Skyesports Championship Grand Finals will introduce a unique and never-seen-before format in BGMI esports: the Sky Champ Rule. Under this format, teams must reach a points threshold and then secure a winner-winner chicken dinner (WWCD) to be crowned champions of the tournament.
This innovative structure brings an added layer of strategy and unpredictability to the final stage. The tournament has already surpassed 25 million views and hit a peak concurrent viewership of over 100,000, showcasing the growing anticipation for the Grand Finals.
Commenting on the partnership, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO, Skyesports, said: “The Skyesports Championship has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable esports IPs in India, consistently bringing together top talent from across the country. It’s this scale, reach, and grassroots foundation that makes the IP a compelling platform for leading brands like iQOO to engage with the gaming community. We’re excited to have them on board as the title sponsor for the Grand Finals and look forward to delivering an unforgettable last stage through our unique Sky Champ format.”
The 16 qualified teams for the iQOO Neo 10 Skyesports Championship Grand Finals are:
- Vasista Esports
- True Rippers
- Learn From Past
- Cincinnati Kids
- Money Makerz
- Rising Inferno Esports
- Wyld Fans
- Autobotz Esports
- Gods Reign
- Alibaba Raiders
- 4Merical Esports
- Team iQOO Soul
- Team iQOO 8Bit
- Blitz Esports
- RivalryxNRI
- Team Versatile
The iQOO Neo 10 Skyesports Championship 2025 BGMI Grand Finals will be streamed exclusively on the Skyesports YouTube channel from May 15th to 18th, 2025. Fans tuning in will also stand a chance to win exciting prizes, with further details to be revealed during the livestream.
The post iQOO Neo 10 Named Title Sponsor of the Skyesports Championship 2025 BGMI Grand Finals appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Esports World Cup Foundation Welcomes OBSBOT as Official Camera and Webcam Partner for Esports World Cup 2025
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced OBSBOT, as an official camera and webcam partner for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this summer. The two-year partnership will integrate OBSBOT’s next-generation AI camera technologies into the EWC’s production capabilities, providing enhanced video quality and immersive experiences for millions of fans around the world. The partnership supports the EWC’s broader strategy to connect Chinese esports with its global ecosystem, strengthening ties with one of the world’s most dynamic gaming markets and bringing the best of China’s innovation to the global esports stage.
The 2025 Esports World Cup will spotlight every player’s journey, showcasing their skill, competitive excellence and relentless pursuit of victory. OBSBOT will support this vision by outfitting player areas, streaming stations, and venue activations with its latest devices, the Tail 2 smart-tracking camera and the Tiny 2 webcam, both designed with esports creators in mind.
“The Esports World Cup is built on innovation, and technology plays a crucial role in creating unforgettable moments for players, Clubs and fans,” said Mohammed Al Nimer, Senior Sales Director, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Our partnership with OBSBOT is at the heart of this vision. Its cutting-edge camera technology demonstrates the power of AI in esports today, capturing the intensity and emotion that defines competition at this level and bringing fans into the moment. We are thrilled to have OBSBOT as our Official Camera and Webcam Partner as we continue raising the bar for esports experiences worldwide.”
OBSBOT offers standout solutions like the Tail 2 and Tiny 2. Tail 2, a 4K PTZR live production camera powered by AI Tracking 2.0, delivers smooth, cinematic shots with minimal manual input and integrates seamlessly with professional broadcasting environments through NDI and other pro-grade outputs. The Tiny 2, the flagship webcam in OBSBOT’s lineup, provides exceptional image quality and unparalleled tracking performance in a compact desktop form. Whether on stage or at the desk, OBSBOT’s technology ensures streamers can stay focused on the game while the camera keeps up.
“We believe that everyone’s story deserves to be seen and shared, and the Esports World Cup provides the perfect platform for us to showcase our vision,” said Liu Bo, CEO & Founder of OBSBOT. “Through our partnership with the Esports World Cup, we are bringing our cutting-edge AI-powered camera technology to millions of gamers and content creators, celebrating the excitement, drama, and triumphs of elite competition on the world’s biggest stage. This collaboration is about more than just capturing moments; it’s about empowering a new generation of storytellers to create, share, and inspire with professional-grade tools that are as dynamic as the esports community itself.”
Returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24, 2025, the Esports World Cup will unite global gaming communities for a celebration of esports culture. With 25 tournaments across 24 games, 2,000 elite players, and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, the EWC will feature the largest prize pool in esports history, over $70 million. Fans can expect exclusive experiences, from high-stakes competition to live music, anime cafes, retro arcades, cosplay, and more, drawing millions of fans online and in person.
The post Esports World Cup Foundation Welcomes OBSBOT as Official Camera and Webcam Partner for Esports World Cup 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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