Mercedes-Benz, already a sponsor of multiple esports events, signed its first deal with a professional team, a one-year agreement with Chinese League of Legends franchise RNG, according to Graham Ashton of THE ESPORTS OBSERVER. As well as collaborating on social media and video content, Mercedes-Benz "will have branding on RNG’s jerseys, and at the team’s new home stadium in Beijing." There are "also plans for RNG players to appear at Mercedes-Benz events." Financial terms were not disclosed. A Mercedes-Benz China spokesperson said, "League of Legends’ young audience of Chinese fans are the target consumers for Mercedes-Benz’s new generation products, including our 'Powered by Life' GLA SUV." Alongside Vivo, Mercedes-Benz is a top sponsor for all Tencent esports, part of a multi-year deal worth over 50M yuan ($7.5M) (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 6/26).
For more coverage of the business of esports, visit our partners, esportsobserver.com.
NEW MATCH: GAMING INTELLIGENCE reported online betting and gaming operator Betway agreed to a sponsorship deal with recently-relaunched Brazilian esports brand Made in Brazil (MIBR). Betway will serve as a founding sponsor of MIBR alongside dating app Tinder, "developing exclusive content for fans and gaining rights to a number of the team's media assets." The sponsorship agreement follows the June acquisition of MIBR by L.A.-based esports organization Immortals. As a result of the acquisition, the MIBR team is relocating to L.A. to train at Immortals' campus before participating in the 2018 ESL One Cologne event in July (GAMING INTELLIGENCE, 6/26).
