German sports-focused broadcaster Sportdigital has acquired rights in the country to the upcoming 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC).
The deal will see Sportdigital provide coverage of the “biggest esports tournament ever,” being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, via its eSportONE channel from July 7 to August 24.
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Florian Merz, Sportdigital’s channel manager for esports, said: “The Esports World Cup 2025 surpasses all records in terms of quality, size and prize money. Through our channel eSportsONE, we are able to broadcast the tournament comprehensively for over 7 weeks.
“We will be commentating on a large part of the tournaments in German, and [will] thus offer all fans a perfect service."
Over 2,000 top players from more than 200 clubs and over 100 nations are due to compete against each other in 25 disciplines, including League of Legends, Counter Strike 2, Dota 2, Valorant, EA Sports FC 25, PUBG, Street Fighter 6, and chess, among others.
As well as individual competitions, there is an overall Club Championship where the best esports organizations compete for total points and additional bonuses across several titles.
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By GlobalDataThe total prize fund attached to the upcoming EWC is $70 million, with over 2,000 players competing.
Last month, Australian commercial broadcaster Seven secured rights to the tournament.
Aside from live action, Seven’s coverage will include the opening ceremony, while the broadcaster will also produce a two-hour live show called EWS Spotlight, featuring the finals of each separate event, held across the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of each week.
Meanwhile, tournament organizers, the Esports World Cup Foundation, have announced a new partnership with analytics provider Stream Hatchet.
Stream Hatchet becomes the tournament’s official data and insights partner and will provide real-time analytics, performance dashboards, and tailored insights.
Specifically, the company will use tracking systems to measure audience reach, engagement trends, and in-event performance metrics to deliver value to rights holders and sponsors.
As part of the partnership, Stream Hatchet and parent company GameSquare will co-ordinate media outreach, social campaigns, and ongoing data releases before and during the tournament.
Duard Montserrat, Stream Hatchet chief executive, said: “Partnering with the Esports World Cup is a defining moment for Stream Hatchet.
“We're proud to help raise the bar for data transparency and empower stakeholders with meaningful insights throughout the competition. Our tools will ensure the world is watching and understanding the action in real time.”
The new partnership comes days after Chinese tech giant Lenovo signed up as a commercial partner of the tournament.
Under that deal, contestants will be equipped with Lenovo equipment such as towers, laptops, and peripherals.
