Esports tournament organiser BLAST has entered a strategic partnership with gaming and esports media network VENN.
The media company will collaborate with BLAST to create, execute, broadcast, and sell shoulder programming across the tournament organiser’s future events. In addition, VENN will own the North America qualifier series for the BLAST Premier 2021.
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BLAST’s NA qualifier series sees eight invited CS:GO teams in the region compete for a chance to qualify for this year’s BLAST Premier series.
Robbie Douek, the CEO of BLAST, commented on the partnership: “BLAST is the fastest-growing esports tournament organiser in the world and has proven itself a highly valuable proposition for multiple brands.
“We are excited about what this collaboration will mean for both our fans and esports fans overall.”
According to the release, the strategic partnership is VENN’s first major expansion into the esports market. The companies will use this collaboration to ‘expand their global footprint and premier position within the professional esports industry’.
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The first collaboration will take place at the BLAST Premier Global Final on January 24th. VENN will produce a variety of segments for the event from its Los Angeles studio.
“This partnership is exactly what we’ve been waiting for and we can’t wait to get started,” added Ariel Horn, VENN’s co-CEO. “Our team has a rich history in this space, having produced many of the most-watched esports events of all time, including League of Legends Worlds and the Fortnite World Cup.
“We have been blown away by BLAST’s brand of dynamic, entertaining and professional events and its rapid expansion across the space. All of those elements combined with our studio infrastructure and programming capabilities make this a perfect match.”
The multi-faceted partnership also sees VENN offer the full suite of future BLAST Premier tournaments to its entire broadcast network.
Esports Insider says: This new strategic partnership between VENN and BLAST should not be understated, this is a huge deal agreed between the two entities. Not only will VENN have access to BLAST Premier events, but the creation and sale of shoulder content also provides greater revenue opportunities.