Vodafone Group PLC (LON:VOD) said it has become a premium partner of the world’s largest esports company, ESL, and will sponsor its upcoming flagship event series.
The FTSE 100 mobile network operator said the event series would include the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), ESL One and ESL Pro League events, with the agreement including a live broadcast segment, ‘The Vodafone View’, content and advertising distribution, as well as branding and activation at the events.
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Vodafone added that it would also work with ESL to support a series of initiatives to promote diversity and female participation in esports by acting as premium partner of the female esports challenge at the IEM live event in Sydney in May 2018, as well as collaborating with the world's top female esports personalities to highlight the opportunities for women in the industry.
Serpil Timuray, chief operations & strategy officer at Vodafone, 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.”
Ralf Reichert, chief executive of 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 connect 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.”
In early trading Thursday, Vodafone shares were up 0.5% at 210.1p.
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