Riot Games will announce Wednesday that the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) has partnered with gaming and esports digital media licensing platform ESPAT AI.
Financial terms of this multi-year partnership were not disclosed.
Under the terms of this new partnership, ESPAT AI will serve as the official photo distribution partner for the LCS starting with the Summer Split in June. ESPAT AI will work with the league to capture and distribute key photographic moments on broadcasts, at the arena, and behind the scenes throughout the LCS season. These images will be stored on ESPAT AI’s digital platform for editorial and commercial use. ESPAT AI will also become the official home to LCS digital media archives.
It should be noted that the LCS Flickr account will remain active for the time being with details on its future to be announced at a later date.
The LCS Summer Split kicks off on June 4 and will be broadcast on YouTube, Twitch, and Riot’s lolesports.com.
ESPAT AI is a digital image licensing platform for commercial and editorial use. The platform also offers ala carte purchases on individual collections of images. It was founded by former NFL, Getty Images, and AP Photo execs in 2018.
The LCS joins 30+ teams under the banner of several esports organizations that have partnered with ESPAT AI including Misfits Gaming Group (owners of LEC team Misfits Gaming, Call of Duty League team Florida Mutineers, and Overwatch League team Florida Mayhem), Spain-based MAD Lions and Team Queso, Hong Kong-based Talon Esports, and Minnesota-based esports organization Version1, owners of the CDL team Minnesota Røkkr.
At the end of February, ESPAT AI hired former NFL and MLS exec Matt Hill as its new CEO. In an interview with The Esports Observer, Hill said that the company is exploring new technology to enhance the company’s catalog and is seeking funding to implement these and other new ideas.
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