- Livestreaming platform Douyu has been named the official Chinese streaming partner of Gen.G’s League of Legends team.
- Gen.G may pursue similar deals for its other teams, possibly with different streaming platforms.
- In April, Gen.G raised $46M USD from various investors, while Douyu filed for a potential $500M U.S. IPO with the New York Stock Exchange.
Gen.G Esports 
has agreed to a partnership with livestreaming platform Douyu , which is now the official Chinese media partner for its League of Legends (LoL) team.
The deal is currently exclusive to Gen.G’s South Korean LoL squad, which competes in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) league. According to Gen.G chief operating officer Arnold Hur, the organization has seen interest both from Chinese fans and from global sponsors that want more of a presence in that market.
“We noticed from our viewership and response from fans that we had a massive Chinese fan base for our players,” Hur told The Esports Observer. “As well, we continued to see a ton of interest from our global sponsorship partners that wanted to work with brands that understood the Chinese fan base and gain exposure there. Connecting the dots seemed like a no-brainer, as we have offices in both Shanghai and the U.S. and were uniquely positioned to connect East and West.”
Gen.G is looking at similar partnerships for its other teams, said Hur, but such deals could ultimately be made with other Chinese streaming platforms based on which seems like the best fit for the game’s audience. He also explained how this move fits into the company’s expanding global strategy, which includes an upcoming second headquarters in Los Angeles and a recent infusion of capital via a $46M investment round.
Related Article: Gen.G COO on $46M Investment: “We’re Continuing Our Global Expansion”
“We work with brands both from a bottom-up, local perspective as well as from a global, strategic perspective as we have offices, teams, and staff across Shanghai, Seoul, and Los Angeles,” said Hur. “This uniquely positions us to activate brands and partners not just on a global level, but a credible, authentic local one. Too many brands make decisions about Asia from afar, whereas we help brands navigate the different business and consumer expectations. This works not only for Western brands looking to continue to expand into the Asian market, but also Asian brands looking to expand into the Western market.”
In April, Douyu filed for a potential $500M initial public offering at the New York Stock Exchange, with Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America Securities underwriting the U.S. IPO. However, a report last week claimed that Douyu might delay its U.S. IPO over Chinese trade tariff concerns.
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted by Trent Murray
