The following has been sent to Inven Global as a press release.
SHANGHAI - Aug. 3, 2020 - Bilibili and LoL Esports, the global League of Legends esports arm of Riot Games, have reached a strategic partnership on its global esports tournaments: The World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star. The partnership grants Bilibili exclusive broadcasting rights in China beginning at the League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) this year through the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational.
In addition to broadcasting the three tournament competitions in China, Bilibili will exclusively produce live-streamed and video-on-demand content for LoL Esports fans in China.
During this year’s World Championship, Bilibili will stream tournament-related programs featuring former League of Legends professional players and showcase star players UZI and Clearlove as guests in the programs. They also are expected to provide live commentary on the Bilibili Worlds channel on Bilibili. Some of the programs will be broadcast non-stop throughout the event period.
Bilibili and Riot Games also have agreed on further collaborations to produce esports documentaries and esports-themed offline events.
In honor of ten years of League of Legends esports, Bilibili, Riot Games, and TJ Sports also will collectively produce an official 10th Anniversary documentary focusing on LPL (China) teams. The documentary, to be available exclusively on Bilibili, will unveil the behind-the-scenes efforts of LPL teams during the road to Worlds and their stories throughout the 2020 World Championship.
To further mark the 10th anniversary of Worlds, Bilibili and Riot Games China will host a series of offline esports events, including activities where fans can watch games and engage in immersive experiences in October.
"We are excited to reach this strategic partnership with Riot Games,” said Carly Lee, the Vice Chairwoman and COO of Bilibili. “Throughout the past decade, we have witnessed the development of the esports industry from a niche market to a mainstream one that is now one of the most popular sports among young people in China. The number of views of esports videos on Bilibili reached 44 billion in 2019. Bilibili will take this opportunity and help Shanghai build its leadership position in the global esports industry.”
"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the pinnacle event in League of Legends esports: Worlds,” said Leo Lin, general manager of Riot Games China. “We are pleased to reach this strategic partnership with Bilibili ahead of this incredible milestone for our esport. Bilibili is a popular video platform for our young generation as well as a booming cultural community for gaming fans. Bilibili has built a solid foundation in esports to thrive now and in the future. We believe that LoL esports global tournaments will resonate with Bilibili users. We also will join hands to help our esport become a leader in the future of the sports industry in China.”
“We continuously look to share our sport across platforms with our fans, and Bilibili will help us share the spectacle of LoL Esports to more of our fans in China,” said John Needham, Global Head of Esports, Riot Games. “Our partnership with Bilibili allows us to stream our broadcasts to new audiences and also unlocks our ability to develop fresh content and storylines around our top professional players as we move into the next decade of LoL Esports.”
