$500 million eSports partnership forming?

The major US sports television network ESPN and eSports giant Riot Games are reportedly about to clinch a $500 million, multi-year deal on League of Legends Championship Series broadcasting

The publication PVPLive was first with the story this week, quoting sources close to the negotiations, although full details could not be revealed and the parties themselves have not so far commented.

The League of Legends Championship Series is a tempting target, having increased viewership by 11.7 percent y-o-y recently with almost 23 million hours.

Riot Games is owned by Chinese internet commerce giant Ten Cent, which has also acquired major equity in other eSports-oriented companies like Epic Games and Activision Blizzard (see previous reports).

The Riot-ESPN partnership will, if confirmed, be one of the biggest business deals yet in the eSports sector, illustrating the continued momentum in the vertical and reaffirming the growing belief in sports betting circles that this is a phenomenon with significant potential.

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