Melany M. April 13, 2019
SK Telecom and Riot Games Korea have announced a new sponsorship deal.
SK Telecom, the parent company to popular League of Legends team SK Telecom T1, signed a new partnership agreement with Riot Games Korea. As part of the new deal, the telecom company now holds the rights to broadcast the LCK on its own video service, oksusu.
The broadcasting is set to start on April 13 during the 2019 LCK Spring Split final as SKT face Griffin for the title. On oksusu, viewers will have the opportunity to zoom into the broadcast image without losing video quality.
Some of the upcoming features on the platform include the “5GX Multi-View” that will allow viewers to choose between the main stream’s view and each players’ personal point of view.
In addition to the improved viewing experience, SKT is planning on releasing new AR and VR content in the coming months. Starting in the summer, SKT will provide live AR/VR broadcasting and VR match replays.
SKT is also bringing LCK fans closer to the players, as the company will start offering virtual fan meetings and one-versus-one AR games against the pros.
Despite being the parent company to the most popular esports organization in South Korea, SKT didn’t have many other relevant partnerships prior to this agreement. The company decided to change that approach in 2019 and began by launching a joint esports venture with North American company Comcast Spectacor.
As a result, the emblematic League of Legends team will rebrand to simply T1. The announcement received mixed reactions since SKT is the most popular squad in competitive League of Legends worldwide and its acronym is considered synonymous with the team.
SKT and Griffin will compete for the 2019 LCK Spring Split championship title and a pass to the Mid-Season Invitational on April 13.