The tournament will be aired on Star Sports 2 from the Nodwin Studios, specifically built for large-scale esports tournaments, in New Delhi. The participating teams will play for a prize pool of Rs 1.5 crore.
“We have been working tirelessly through the pandemic to build the foundation for such a big collaboration,” said Akshat Rathee, MD & Co-Founder, Nodwin Gaming. “This is a very big step for us in the right direction as we now take esports to the masses. So far, esports has always been associated with live streaming on digital platforms. Through this collaboration with a mainstream sports channel, we hope to break that mould.”
Rathee added that the satellite television does have its advantages like its unrivalled reach across every nook and corner of the country, uninterrupted and timely broadcast that is not dependent on internet connectivity and speed as well as affordability for the masses living in far-out areas. “We look forward to spreading the reach of esports, making a connection with the youth across India and bringing esports into the arena of other traditional sports,” he added.
The addition of esports in global multi-sporting events like the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games is a strong testament to the growing stature of the sport worldwide.
Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star said, “Esports in India is a fast-growing segment which has seen accelerated adoption over the last two years. It has immense headroom for growth in India when compared with its status in evolved markets around the world. It is also gaining prominence in the ecosystem as a competitive sport. Esports competitions have already developed a niche following on digital platforms. As the preferred destination for sports fandom, Star Sports is always looking for opportunities to engage fans, galvanise communities and recruit new audiences. Our partnership with Nodwin Gaming seeks to shape the future of eSports in India by introducing high quality competition and prominent players to millions of TV viewers around the country. It will hopefully fuel fandom for eSports amongst gamers and elevate aspiration amongst athletes.”
The tournament will see participation from India’s top 24 BGMI squads. The teams, with fan bases reaching up to millions that have dominated the digital space, will take their game prowess, star performances and rivalries on linear distribution for the first time.
