Indian streaming platform Rooter partners with Chess.com

27 September 2024

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Image credit: Chess.com

Indian streaming and esports content platform Rooter has announced a partnership with chess website Chess.com.

The aim behind the deal is to target India’s growing chess community through ‘engaging community experiences and enhance user monetisation’, according to a release.

The partnership will see Rooter expand its streaming service outside of its traditional gaming and esports roots. The company aims to tap into the thriving chess community in India which, according to The International Chess Federation, has the fourth-highest average chess ELO rating in the world.

As part of the partnership, Rooter aims to open a new stream of revenue for Chess.com. Through Rooter’s digital commerce store, Rooter Shop, consumers will have the opportunity to purchase Chess.com memberships at discounted prices by utilising the exclusive deals on offer. 

According to a release, Rooter is hoping to attract ‘to attract casual gamers and strategy game lovers’ to the platform and give partners a new community to engage with.

Founded in 2016, Rooter is a streaming and gaming platform in India with the goal of creating a mobile game-focused platform similar to Twitch. The platform has been working to expand its influence in recent years, partnering with the country’s largest mobile network operator Joi and launching a GTA esports event alongside SoulCity and IGMC.

Piyush Kumar, Founder and CEO of Rooter, spoke on the partnership: “Our goal at Rooter is to drive a revolution in Indian gaming by giving a platform for all kinds of games and genres to grow. We are thrilled to partner with a leader like Chess.com on this journey.

“We’ve been getting much interest from brand partners, especially in BFSI and technology sectors, who are keen to explore meaningful ways to engage with chess enthusiasts in the country. We’ll be closely working with Chess.com to build innovative content solutions for our brand partners.”

Chess.com are no strangers to partnerships within the esports, gaming and streaming sphere. The most recent example of this was when Anichess, a chess game co-created by Animoca and Chess.com, announced a partnership with multinational esports organisation Team Secret.

Dafydd Gwynn