India-based esports brand Nodwin Gaming has been appointed as the media rights distribution agency in South Asia for the annual Esports World Cup (EWC).
Through a deal announced today, Nodwin - which has its headquarters located close to India's capital of Delhi - will act as a strategic supporting agency for the tournament, with this year's edition running between July 7 (Monday) and August 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It will manage media rights sales and distribution strategies for the tournament across South Asia, including in markets such as India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
In addition, the agency will act as the marketing partner for the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) in the Indian market, and will work on developing and executing "campaigns and initiatives that support the foundation's mission of elevating esports and gaming culture worldwide."
The 2025 EWC marks the second edition of that event, which made its debut last year. The 2024 World Cup attracted 500 million viewers online, Nodwin has now claimed.
Nodwin currently runs competitions such as the Battle Mobile India Masters Series, which is broadcast in India by the heavyweight pay-TV Star Sports network.
The firm's co-founder and managing director, Akshat Rathee, has said: "This partnership is about more than just broadcasting a tournament - it’s about building a bridge between South Asia’s incredibly passionate gaming communities and the global stage that the EWCF represents. Whether it’s in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, or beyond, our goal is to make world-class esports content more accessible than ever."
Mike McCabe, chief operating officer at the EWCF, added: "South Asia represents an incredibly dynamic and fast-growing gaming market, and Nodwin Gaming brings unparalleled knowledge, reach, and local trust to this ecosystem."
Earlier this week, German broadcaster Sportdigital unveiled EWC rights in that market, while late June saw Australia's Seven do the same.
Seven's coverage, aside from live action, will also include the EWC opening ceremony, while the broadcaster will additionally produce a two-hour live show called EWS Spotlight, featuring the finals of each separate event, held across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, each week.
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.
Earlier this week, the EWCF unveiled Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco as an event sponsor, in a three-year overall tie-up.
In a renewal and expansion of an existing partnership, Aramco will once again act as the title sponsor of the Aramco SIM Arena, in which venue fans will be able to take part in interactive motorsport activities throughought the EWC.
In addition, it will act as title partner of the Aramco Esports Championship, which will take place during the overall tournament and which will involve online races leading up to weekly live events at the SIM Arena.
The overall winner of the Aramco Esports Championship will have the chance to interact with the Aston Martin Esports team at the iconic Silverstone motor racing track in the UK - Aramco is a major Aston Martin commercial partner.
Finally, the Aramco Power Rankings will be introduced at the 2025 EWC.
The initial Aramco-EWCF partnership, covering the 2024 tournament, was valued by GlobalData Sport at $8 million.
