In a huge move for esports Riot Games and Major League Baseball’s BAMTech, a subsidiary of MLB Advanced Media have announced a long-term partnership for the monetization and commercialization of League of Legends esports. The $300 million USD ($411 million AUD) deal signed to last to at least till the 2023 season will work to grow the already popular esports revenue via sponsorships and advertisement deals as well as give MLB’s BAMTech exclusive rights to stream and monetize professional League of Legends competitions.
MLB Advanced Media or MLBAM for short is a partnertship consisting of 30 Major League Baseball club owners that operate many of the sports online interactive aspects such as the official MLB website and individual MLB club sites. Riot isn’t the only big name to join the company’s litany of stake holders. MLB Advanced Media already includes huge names like HBO, Walt Disney Co, WWE and other sporting codes such as the PGA tour and the National Hockey League.
MLBAM plan to release a streaming App for League of Legends sometime next year, but Riot has assured the community that content will remain freely available in the traditional channels fans have found familiarity with. The app itself will run on smartphones, PC’s and all other devices one could previously watch League of Legends. MLBam will however take over the handling distribution of League of Legends content on streaming services like YouTube and Amazon. Com Inc’s Twitch. The app will possess custom features such as player profiles, statistics, replays and videos on demand all in order to deliver what esports director at Riot Jarred Kennedy calls “a better experience.”
Riot Games have yet to state exact details on the high-profile deal or which regions it will affect yet. This deals means a lot of potential growth for esports and will work towards building a solid future for franchises, players and fans. It’s clear that this deal is yet another bid to legitimise and solidify League of Legends and esports as a whole as a proper sector of the sporting world.