Riot Games has appointed HUYA as the Chinese broadcast partner for its North American league LCS and European league LEC.
The Chinese live streaming platform is already the exclusive broadcast distribution partner in China for Korean league LCK.
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Alban Dechelotte, Head of Business Development and Sponsorships for EU Esports for Riot Games discussed the partnership in a release: “After our most successful LEC season yet, we’re looking forward to offering fans more of the kind of innovation and entertainment that our European League is known for. Our partnership with Huya means that it’s even easier for fans worldwide to follow the LEC teams and pros that captivated them at the World Championships.”
Kicking off on January 24th and 25th respectively, both LEC and LCS will be broadcast on HUYA for the foreseeable future. The deal has been made in an effort to expose Chinese fans to Western teams outside of international competitions, hoping that they “enjoy seeing friendly Western rivalries evolve.”
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A spokesperson for HUYA also commented on the deal: “Huya has a large layout in China for the League of Legends e-sports market. In this year, Huya has garnered the exclusive broadcaster rights to LEC and LCS, and a 3-year exclusive broadcaster rights to LCK from 2020 to 2022. The agreement brought Huya and Riot Games into an unprecedented level of cooperation. We wish League of Legends fans could get the best viewing experience in Huya, the highly engaged and interactive game live streaming community, and look forward to more cooperation with Riot Games in the next few years.”
In June last year, HUYA became the Chinese streaming partner of Netherlands-based organisation Team Liquid. The deal sees select players broadcast their gameplay on the platform in an effort to connect with the organisation’s audience in the country.
Esports Insider says: There’s undoubtedly a lot of interest for League of Legends in China so this is a big win for both LCS and LEC, being able to garner the support of Chinese fans outside of international events such as Worlds, Mid-Season Invitational, and the All-Star event.