Bilibili Signs Strategic Partnership with Riot Games

Chinese online entertainment platform Bilibili Inc. has entered into a three-year strategic partnership with League of Legends developer Riot Games.

The deal grants the platform an exclusive license for live broadcasting the League of Legend Esports global events (in Mandarin only), including the world-renowned League of Legend World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational and All-Star Event.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the League of Legend World Championship, Bilibili will join forces with Riot Games to host various online and offline esports events, bringing the world-renowned, global tournament to even broader audiences.

“We are excited to reach a strategic partnership with Riot Games. Throughout the past decade, we have witnessed esports becoming mainstream and one of the most popular sports among China’s young generations. As an internet company headquartered in Shanghai, we also look forward to helping the city strengthen its leading position in the global esports industry,” Carly Lee, Vice Chairwoman of the Board and COO of Bilibili, said.

“We continuously look to share our tournaments to a wider fan base across different platforms, and we have full confidence in Bilibili to elevate this superb tournament to the next level. Our partnership with Bilibili opens us to new audiences by their immersive live-broadcasting experience. Moving into the next decade of LoL Esports, this strategic partnership further unlocks our potential to bring fresh content and chapters to the world’s top professional players,” John Needham, Global Head of Esports at Riot Games, said.