Vi and Team Vitality Forge a Strategic Esports Partnership in India
03.01.2024 - 08:31:52Vi and Team Vitality Forge a Strategic Esports Partnership in India. With this alliance, the two organizations aim to drive, democratize access to esports ecosystem in the country
Over the last few years, esports as a category gained recognition as a mainstream sport especially after being debuted as an official medal sports at various international sports platforms. To capitalise on this growing consumer category, Vodafone Idea (Vi), one of India’s leading telecom operators and Paris-based Team Vitality, an internationally acclaimed esports organisation, have announced a long-term union to boost the esports ecosystem in India.
With this first-of-its-kind collaboration, the two brands jointly aim to create opportunities and exposure to esports fans and gaming enthusiasts alike. The partnership encompasses many aspects such as brand sponsorship, content partnerships, gaming events and unique experiences at a never-seen-before scale. This will enable Vi customers to participate in esports and allow exclusive access to some of the popular Team Vitality tournaments and teams. This partnership will create opportunities for budding esports talent from across the country to have access to professional players, master classes, meet & greets with esports talent and many other opportunities.
Vi is known for its strong presence in the mobile games segment, offering a wide range of hyper casual mobile games to users via Vi Games on Vi App. Through this association with Team Vitality, Vi now aims to deepen its focus on esports in India. Vi Games in the recent past forayed into the esports segment by hosting popular free-to-play tournaments across games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire Max, Asphalt 9, Clash Royale, etc.
Commenting on the association, Avneesh Khosla, CMO, Vi said, “Gaming has always been our strategic focus area and we have continuously strived to strengthen our gaming portfolio with right partnerships and relevant offerings. Over the last few years, esports has revolutionized the mobile gaming arena especially with younger audiences, and hence, deepening our focus in this space was a natural progression for Vi Games. We are excited to partner with one of the leading esports organizations of the world - Team Vitality. Together, we aim to drive and democratize access to the esports ecosystem in India. In the coming months, we will introduce some exciting esports and other youth-centric content for our consumers to experience.”
Speaking on the occasion Randall Fernandez, Managing Director, Team Vitality India said, “We are exhilarated to announce our partnership with Vi. We are at a juncture where technology will catapult gaming to the next level and eagerly look forward to our journey together. We will unlock new horizons searching for aspiring gaming talent across the length and breadth of the country, set new precedents and create indelible marks within the esports industry.”
Locally, Team Vitality’s all-Indian Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) team was among the top 16 teams globally who qualified and competed in the CODM World Championship 2023 that was held in Atlanta, US between December 15th and 17th. The organisation previously roped in popular gaming content creators Nischay ‘Live Insaan’ Malhan, Rachit ‘Rachitroo’ Yadav, Nitin ‘Classified YT’ Chougale, Shagufta ‘Xyaa’ Iqbal and Pratik ‘Aurum’ Mehra who have a cumulative YouTube base of 20 million subscribers.
To capitalise on this upward-growing industry and to build a deeper connect with consumers, Vi and Team Vitality plan to launch various gaming contests and events.
With this first-of-its-kind collaboration, the two brands jointly aim to create opportunities and exposure to esports fans and gaming enthusiasts alike. The partnership encompasses many aspects such as brand sponsorship, content partnerships, gaming events and unique experiences at a never-seen-before scale. This will enable Vi customers to participate in esports and allow exclusive access to some of the popular Team Vitality tournaments and teams. This partnership will create opportunities for budding esports talent from across the country to have access to professional players, master classes, meet & greets with esports talent and many other opportunities.
Vi is known for its strong presence in the mobile games segment, offering a wide range of hyper casual mobile games to users via Vi Games on Vi App. Through this association with Team Vitality, Vi now aims to deepen its focus on esports in India. Vi Games in the recent past forayed into the esports segment by hosting popular free-to-play tournaments across games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire Max, Asphalt 9, Clash Royale, etc.
Commenting on the association, Avneesh Khosla, CMO, Vi said, “Gaming has always been our strategic focus area and we have continuously strived to strengthen our gaming portfolio with right partnerships and relevant offerings. Over the last few years, esports has revolutionized the mobile gaming arena especially with younger audiences, and hence, deepening our focus in this space was a natural progression for Vi Games. We are excited to partner with one of the leading esports organizations of the world - Team Vitality. Together, we aim to drive and democratize access to the esports ecosystem in India. In the coming months, we will introduce some exciting esports and other youth-centric content for our consumers to experience.”
Speaking on the occasion Randall Fernandez, Managing Director, Team Vitality India said, “We are exhilarated to announce our partnership with Vi. We are at a juncture where technology will catapult gaming to the next level and eagerly look forward to our journey together. We will unlock new horizons searching for aspiring gaming talent across the length and breadth of the country, set new precedents and create indelible marks within the esports industry.”
Locally, Team Vitality’s all-Indian Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) team was among the top 16 teams globally who qualified and competed in the CODM World Championship 2023 that was held in Atlanta, US between December 15th and 17th. The organisation previously roped in popular gaming content creators Nischay ‘Live Insaan’ Malhan, Rachit ‘Rachitroo’ Yadav, Nitin ‘Classified YT’ Chougale, Shagufta ‘Xyaa’ Iqbal and Pratik ‘Aurum’ Mehra who have a cumulative YouTube base of 20 million subscribers.
To capitalise on this upward-growing industry and to build a deeper connect with consumers, Vi and Team Vitality plan to launch various gaming contests and events.
About Vodafone Idea Limited
Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is amongst India’s leading telecom service provider. The company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platforms. Company holds large spectrum portfolio including mid band 5G spectrum in 17 circles and mmWave 5G spectrum in 16 circles. To support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The company’s equity share are listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the BSE in India.
The company offers products and services to its customers in India under the TM Brand name “Vi”.
For more information, please visit: www.MyVi.in
About Team Vitality
Team Vitality is a French esports organisation created in 2013 by Fabien "Neo" Devide and Nicolas Maurer. In ten years, the organisation has become a leader in France and Europe and is evolving internationally competing in 6 titles: League of Legends, CS: 2, VALORANT, FIFA, Rocket League and Call of Duty Mobile. Composed of international players with exceptional talent, the organisation is fully dedicated to the identification and development of esports athletes. Team Vitality has three international offices across the world in Paris, Berlin and Mumbai where it trains its athletes and connects with its fans. In total, the Team Vitality community has more than 12 million fans across all social networks, which it also unites on its V.Hive mobile application. Team Vitality is proud to have global partners such as Tezos and hummel.
To learn more, visit the website Team Vitality. Follow Team Vitality on social media: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, LinkedIn, or download the mobile application V.Hive.
