Esports tournament organiser ESL Gaming has announced an exclusive image licensing partnership with digital media licensing platform ESPAT.
The deal will see ESPAT become the official photo distribution partner of Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) and ESL Pro League. The deal kicks off with IEM Katowice 2022 this week.
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As a result, ESPAT will work with ESL Gaming’s photography team to capture and distribute key photographic moments across IEM calendar events and throughout the ESL Pro League season. The images will be then distributed on ESPAT’s platform for editorial use.
ESPAT began hosting ESL’s image archives at the start of IEM Katowice on February 15th.
Both entities will reportedly plan to explore opportunities that drive innovation in licensing over the course of the partnership. This includes the application of ESPAT’s technology to unlock interactivity in ESL’s digital images.
Matt Hill, ESPAT CEO, spoke on the announcement: “ESL Gaming is one of the preeminent organisations in the world of gaming and esports, with unparalleled global reach. ESPAT is proud to call ESL a partner, and together we look forward to driving innovation within gaming content creation.
“Our licensing and technology solution will help scale the accessibility of premium ESL imagery while generating new ways for photographers and creators to monetise their platforms. We’re excited to enhance our service to the CS:GO community beginning with IEM Katowice 2022.”
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ESL Gaming recently announced a partnership with German dairy brand Müllermilch. As a result, the brand has become a premium partner of ESL Meisterschaft throughout 2022.
Esports Insider says: Following the image licensing deal with LCS, ESPAT continues to expand its commercial portfolio with another prominent tournament organiser. It will be interesting to see how the ESL’s imagery output will improve following the partnership and if other tournament organisers decide to follow suit.