Multinational sports and entertainment agency Lagardère Sports recently announced an exclusive partnership with Korean esports giant T1, formerly known as SK Telecom T1. The deal follows the joint venture brokered between Comcast Spectacor and SK Telecom and will see Lagardère Sports responsible for marketing T1’s commercial rights, including managing all brand partnerships and sponsorship engagements.
The partnership between the two indicates a strong commitment by T1 to establish a cohesive, successful, and structured approach in its sales, marketing, and sponsorships strategies. With access to Lagardère Sports’ broader global network of contacts and expertise, T1 will seek to deliver a wide range of activations and develop strong long term partnerships with both endemic and non-endemic sponsors. Lagardère Sports has worked with several esports organisations in the past, including Riot Games, RFRSH Entertainment, and PUBG.
https://twitter.com/LSports_us/status/1126542258474508288
On the partnership, Adrian Staiti, Executive Vice President, Global Partnerships at Lagardère Sports commented, “We are at a tipping point where more than ever before, brands are seriously looking at esports as a massive marketing opportunity. In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, few properties rival the portfolio of assets that has been assembled by T1 Entertainment & Sports, and their ability to attract a captive pool of younger audiences with a high disposable income. T1 will bring the perfect balance of high performance and strong fan appeal, which will certainly reap a strong return of investment for brands.”
Joe Marsh, Spectacor Gaming division’s Chief Business Officer was similarly excited about the deal, “We look forward to working with Lagardère Sports to optimise the tremendous growth potential for T1 Entertainment & Sports. Lagardère Sports has earned a strong track record of maximising the value and opportunities surrounding major brands, and we are happy to partner with them from the start of a very promising chapter for T1.”
Esports Insider says: With a host experience in traditional sports alongside working with big esports entities like Riot, RFRSH, and PUBG, Lagardère Sports will certainly make good use of such a big brand in T1.