VODAFONE WARRIORS TACKLE ESPORTS
It's the dawn of a new age in eSports, an industry that is demanding the recognition and respect that traditional sports
receive, and today it's validating that claim.
The Vodafone Warriors are getting involved with eSports in a serious way. They’ve answered the call to duty and have
agreed to be ambassadors for the six teams competing in the LPL2 Call of Duty Infinite Warfare Premiership in
association with Logitech G and Twitch.
The eSports Premiership will be the first Infinite Warfare tournament to be televised in the world. From today
(Wednesday, November 16), eSports fans can follow New Zealand’s top Call of Duty teams in a six-team, six-week
tournament that culminates in a live Grand Final at SKYCITY Theatre on December 21.
The six-week series will be televised live on SKY Sport 2, SKYGO, and FAN PASS every week at 7:30 pm. Round-robin and
playoff matches will be streamed weekly online for free at www.letsplay.live and Twitch on Friday and Saturday nights
from 7pm.
The Grand Final will feature the winning teams as well as a curtain-raiser involving two Vodafone Warriors teams playing
Call of Duty, live on SKY Sport.
The Vodafone Warriors will be working closely with each CoD team. The players assisting with their respective LPL CoD
teams are Ben Matulino, Jazz Tevaga, Ata Hingano, Albert Vete, Sam Lisone, and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Each Vodafone
Warrior will coach his respective team on teamwork, fitness, and developing a winning mindset.
Twenty-five New Zealand teams competed in qualifiers for the six available spots. The final teams include top players
from the Call of Duty World Series.
The Vodafone Warriors are no strangers to the Call of Duty franchise, playing it in their downtime and when they’re on
the road.
The club is looking to build a bridge between traditional sports and eSports. This will allow the Vodafone Warriors to
engage with a millennial audience that may not follow traditional media.
The Vodafone Warriors join a growing trend of major sports franchises getting involved with eSports. Franchises like
EPL’s Manchester United, the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, FC Schalke 04 and Valencia have already established their
position in the eSports market.
With a 40% year over year growth of eSports the industry is red hot. The 2016 League of Legends World Championship saw a
global viewership of 36 million people. Compare that to the NBA Championship, which received 19.94 million viewers, and
you can see why traditional sports are beckoning to the call.
Recent developments over the past year indicate that eSports is likely to appear at the 2022 Winter Olympics and is also
being considered for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Global viewership in 2016 for eSports was 150 million regular fans and 125 million casual fans, the latter watching
mostly the large tournaments. LPL 2 will be reaching this global audience with its online partner, Twitch.tv.
Tune in on Wednesday to see Ben Matulino’s team Slicer vs Albert Vete’s team Crucial go head to head live on SKY Sport 2
from 7:30pm.
Answer the call and contact us to find out more about the premiership, eSports or to attend a broadcast at our dedicated
eSports studio.
LPL Call of Duty Infinite Warfare Premiership in association with Logitech G and Twitch Roster:
o Ben Matulino - Slicer
o Jazz Tevaga - Beyond
o Ata Hingano - Incept Gaming
o Albert Vete - Crucial
o Sam Lisone - 7- seas
o Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - Astonish
[END]
Date:
Wednesday 16th Nov
to Wednesday Dec 21
Broadcast times:
SKY Sport (Wed) 7:30pm
Letsplay.live (Thur, Fri, Sat 7pm)
How to watch:
Sky Sport 2
Sky Go
www.Letsplay.live
Promoter:
Letsplay.live
Event:
LPL2: Call of Duty Infinite Warfare
Game:
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare
More info: