Esports giant ESL and global telecommunications company Vodafone have announced an international esports partnership. The deal is set to cover a variety of ESL’s flagship events, including the Intel Extreme Masters, ESL One and the ESL Pro League.
The first partnership between the two companies will be at IEM Sydney, where Vodafone will become a “Premium Partner” of the female esports challenge at the event. This will be the first step for the two companies as they’re set to support a series of initiatives that promote diversity and female participation in esports.
Serpil Timuray, Chief Operations & Strategy Officer, Vodafone Group said: “We are delighted to launch this partnership with ESL and create one of the biggest international networks for esports at a time when audiences are growing rapidly and new technologies are poised to deliver better experiences. I look forward to joining our customers across 25 countries in viewing ESL’s exciting esports tournaments, both at home and on their mobile devices.”
Ralf Reichert, CEO at ESL added: “We are thrilled to partner with Vodafone as our new telecommunication partner for various events. Together with Vodafone, we are looking forward to connecting even more people and create diversity in esports by ensuring better technological conditions for professional players, fans and ESL employees, fostering corporate responsibility projects and creating awareness around the esports industry to a broader audience. Vodafone is committed to supporting ESL with all their knowledge and strength and we could not be happier about that.”
After IEM Sydney, Vodafone’s partnership will continue with ESL One Birmingham at the end of May and ESL One Cologne in July. Further events with their partnership will be announced in due course. Other aspects of the deal include a new segment titled “The Vodafone View”, as well as various branding related to the telecommunications company.
Esports Insider says: Another big move for ESL, and good to see Vodafone expanding their partnerships into events as well. Considering that the vast majority of esports is consumed through the internet, it could be expected that more telecommunications companies would be set to get involved.