Spotify has inked a multi-year partnership with League of Legends publisher Riot Games to be the official audio streaming partner for League of Legends (LoL) Esports global events: the World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star Event.
The partnership kicks off ahead of this year’s World Championship set to begin September 25.
LoL Esports has become the biggest esport in the world over the last decade, hosting events in more than 37 different cities last year across five continents and reaching a record-breaking 21.8 million average minute audience (AMA) for the 2019 World Championship Final.
In 2019 the World Championship attracted over 100 million viewers, with the the final round seeing a peak of 44m concurrent viewers.
The collaboration will see Spotify and Riot Games produce a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Worlds Anthem, develop various podcast series, create curated playlists, and launch a new LoL Esports Music Hub on Spotify.
Spotify will create curated playlists inspired by the League of Legends esports community. Spotify also will serve as the presenting partner of Game 5.
Additionally, Spotify and Riot Games will release an original League of Legends-focused podcast series. The first of these is called Untold Stories: Top Moments from Worlds.
Spotify also will provide fans with a behind-the-scenes look at creating the popular Worlds Anthem.
Released annually leading into the League of Legends World Championship since 2014, Riot Games has collaborated with popular artists like Imagine Dragons, The Glitch Mob, and Against the Current to produce music for the event.
“Our partnership with Riot Games will create a first-of-its-kind audio universe for the millions of Spotify and League of Legends fans across the globe.”
June Sauvaget, Spotify
June Sauvaget, Global Head of Consumer and Product Marketing, Spotify, said: “Our partnership with Riot Games will create a first-of-its-kind audio universe for the millions of Spotify and League of Legends fans across the globe.
“As the exclusive — and first-ever — global audio service partner for League of Legends Esports, we plan to create the best possible audio streaming experience for our users, making discovering both music and podcasts easier than ever before.”
“Powered by our shared commitment to innovation, this partnership with Spotify further unlocks our ability to merge sports, technology, and music to create unforgettable entertainment experiences and content.”
Naz Aletaha, Riot Games
Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships, Riot Games, added: “Music and story-telling have become an intrinsic part of our sport and game, so we are excited to partner with Spotify to provide our fans with another platform where they can enjoy a new manifestation of League of Legends esports.
“Powered by our shared commitment to innovation, this partnership with Spotify further unlocks our ability to merge sports, technology, and music to create unforgettable entertainment experiences and content.”
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