League of Legends Pro League (LPL) team JingDong Gaming has added Sony TV China as a new sponsor through June 2021.
The deal was brokered by Shanghai-based consultancy firm Good Times, which said that it is the first time that a television brand has entered the Chinese esports space.
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Raymond Lowe, Managing Partner of Good Times, commented in a release: “Esports is the future of brand partnerships for any brand with millennial consumers. It’s important, however, for brands to carefully consider how their positioning and products can actually add value to the players, the esports infrastructure, and the fandom, without just bluntly inserting themselves into the culture. We are proud to have brought these two great brands together to offer all esports fans a more enjoyable and immersive esports viewership experience.”
JingDong Gaming, commonly known as JD Gaming, will wear Sony TV China branding on their jerseys through the rest of the 2020 season and into the next. Sony will also provide televisions for use with training, and will further support the partnership later in 2020 via social campaigns, video content, and offline activations.
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The 2020 League of Legends World Championship is slated to take place at Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai later this year, although it is currently unclear whether the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic will affect those plans in any way.
Kevin Chen, Director of the Display Product Department at Sony (China) Limited, added: “We are excited to bring our premium products to fans of esports around China. Esports is an important part of our strategy moving forward, building on our experience in traditional sports partnerships. As JingDong Gaming’s official partner, we look forward to bringing Sony’s innovative technologies to esports fans for the best viewing experience.”
Esports Insider says: Sony is a Japanese company and an international brand, so it’s interesting to see a regional division of the tech giant sponsor a team. It’ll be intriguing to see what kinds of activations they develop together.
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