Riot Games joins forces with BAMTech

Riot Games joins forces with BAMTech posted: 17/12/2016

The gigantic broadcast rights deals that fueled an explosion in salaries for traditional athletes are making their first appearance in e-sports

BAMTech, Major League Baseball's streaming-video unit backed by Disney, has closed a multiyear deal with Riot Games to deliver League of Legends eSports content around the world worth $300 million.

This is a game changer for our sport, Riot Games e-sports directors Whalen Rozelle and Jarred Kennedy said in a statement. True economic sustainability is a critical means to ensuring a sport that lasts, and this represents a major step towards that goal.

This is a game changer for our sport, Riot Games e-sports directors Whalen Rozelle and Jarred Kennedy said in a statement. True economic sustainability is a critical means to ensuring a sport that lasts, and this represents a major step towards that goal.

New York City technology firm BAMTech is paying the $300 million to Los Angeles gamemaker Riot Games for the rights to distribute League of Legends matches in an app and across other services. BAMTech will attempt to make its money back - and more - through ads on the streams, though Riot Games will get an undisclosed portion of the profits.

The League of Legends (LOL) deal comes after Disney agreed to pay $1 billion for a 33% stake in BAMTech. e-sports is especially popular among younger audiences. According to Riot Games, its 15-day LOL 2016 championship tour in North America this fall attracted 43 million unique viewers who watched a total of 370 million hours of live video. BAMTech, under the LOL agreement, will handle future distribution of live eSports broadcasts, including distribution on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

Riot Games operates 13 tournaments for its game around the world, with weekly matches running most of the year followed by regional and international playoffs. About 100 million amateurs and professionals play League of Legends, with tens of millions regularly tuning in to watch the pros.

Starting next year, matches will be broadcast on an app usable across devices. It will be a one-stop shop for data about League of Legends leagues. BAMTech also has the rights to include League of Legends videos in a multi-sport app the firm expects to launch next year. The app will roll out slowly across the world.

The app is expected to be free to use, consistent with Riot Games' strategy of maximizing viewership. But it could make optional features exclusive to paying subscribers.

For BAMTech, the Riot Games pact is the third exclusive, long-term streaming-rights acquisition in just over a year. The National Hockey League last summer signed a six-year deal with MLB Advanced Media under which MBLAM assumed the management of NHL's TV broadcasting and internet-streaming operations; under that agreement, NHL owns a minority stake in BAMTech. In addition, the PGA Tour and MLBAM announced a multiyear partnership to develop, produce, and distribute PGA Tour Live, a digital OTT subscription service featuring coverage of more than 30 events per season.

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