AB InBev will activate its Bud Light brand at
various Overwatch League events this season joining a growing list
of brand partners including Coca-Cola, Toyota, T-Mobile, HP, Intel
and more
The Overwatch League today announced a deal with AB InBev (ABI),
naming the beverage company the league’s official beer partner.
Effective immediately, ABI’s Bud Light brand will be the official
beer of the Overwatch League and will be activating at fan watch
parties around the world (excluding China). The partnership will
include sponsorship of fan activations when the Overwatch League
goes on the road at the Dallas and Atlanta Bud Light Homestand
Weekends and the LA Rivalry Weekend. ABI and Bud Light will also be
activating at the Overwatch League’s 2019 Grand Finals, the
location and date of which will be announced soon.
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Aligning with the Bud Light Homestand Weekends in Dallas and
Atlanta, ABC and ESPN2 will program Overwatch League–produced and
Bud Light sponsored broadcasts on:
- April 27, 8–10 p.m. EDT on ESPN2
- July 6, 3–5 p.m. EDT on ABC
- July 7, 2–3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN2
“Partnering with a brand like Bud Light and the AB InBev family
of brands allows us to continue to reach fans in new and exciting
ways,” said Brandon Snow, chief revenue officer of Activision
Blizzard Esports Leagues. “We’re very happy to be working with a
company that finds value in bringing fans together to celebrate the
very best in competitive entertainment.”
“Our company has a long history of aligning ourselves with great
sports partners and Overwatch League certainly fits that bill,”
said João Chueiri, SVP of consumer connections marketing at AB
InBev. “Bud Light was one of the early adopters of esports with our
Bud Light Esports All-Stars program years ago and we are excited to
expand our footprint with the premier esports property in Overwatch
League. This partnership provides us with an opportunity to engage
with a new segment of legal-drinking-age fans and align our brands
with one of the most exciting esports properties out there right
now.”
“In addition to activations with Bud Light in the U.S., AB InBev
brands in markets such as Canada, U.K. and South Korea are planning
on activation programs to enhance the fan experience at Overwatch
League events in those markets,” said Eelco van der Noll, Head of
Global Experiential Marketing at AB InBev.
“We’ve seen a ton of exciting Overwatch League watch parties
spring up organically around the world, and with AB InBev and Bud
Light on board to partner with us they’re going to get even
better,” said Josh Cella, head of global partnerships for
Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. “AB InBev and specifically Bud
Light helped to create the notion of sports sponsorships as we know
them today. We are thrilled to be partnering with a company that is
all about the fans, as we are with the Overwatch League.”
The Overwatch League kicked off its 2019 season in February to a
sold-out Blizzard Arena Los Angeles and 13 million global viewers
in its opening week, a 30 percent increase in viewership year over
year. Season matches for all 20 teams now are in full swing, with
the Stage 2 Playoffs and Stage 2 Finals taking place May 9–12. For
more information, visit overwatchleague.com.
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional
esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North
America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher
Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq:
ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and
push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years.
The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-two #1 games,[1]
Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with
memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most
engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about
the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
[1] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records
and reports from key distribution partners.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®,
Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo®
franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. (https://www.blizzard.com), a division of
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and
publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of
the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard
Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-two #1 games* and
multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online gaming
service, Blizzard Battle.net®, is one of the largest online-gaming
services in the world, with millions of active players.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and
reports from key distribution partners.
About Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues
Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues (ABEL) is responsible for
the development and operation of premier Activision Blizzard
professional gaming properties including the Overwatch League™ and
the Call of Duty® World League, as well as the commercialization of
the entire Blizzard Esports portfolio. Launched in 2017, the
Overwatch League is the world’s first major global esports league
with city-based teams, with 20 teams across Asia, Europe, and North
America. In 2019, the Call of Duty World League Presented by
PlayStation®4 will deliver five vs. five team play featuring Call
of Duty®: Black Ops 4. It is ABEL’s vision to be the most
innovative, scalable, and valuable developer of global competitive
entertainment.
About AB InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext:
ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the
Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges
and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE: BUD). Our Dream is to bring people together for a
better world. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing
people together for thousands of years. We are committed to
building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing
the best beers using the finest natural ingredients. Our diverse
portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands
Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; multi-country brands
Beck’s®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Hoegaarden® and Leffe®; and local
champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®,
Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Michelob Ultra®, Modelo Especial®,
Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates
back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From
our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To
the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St.
Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa
during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in
Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to
developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective
strengths of approximately 175,000 employees based in nearly 50
countries worldwide. For 2018, AB InBev’s reported revenue was 54.6
billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).
About Bud Light
Introduced in 1982, Bud Light is a premium light lager with a
superior drinkability that has made it the best-selling and most
popular beer in the United States. Bud Light is brewed using a
blend of premium aroma hop varieties, both American-grown and
imported, and a combination of barley malts and rice. The
light-bodied beer features a fresh, clean and subtle hop aroma,
delicate malt sweetness and a crisp finish that delivers the
ultimate refreshment. For more information,
visit www.BudLight.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Blizzard
Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies
regarding the future, including statements about brand deals, the
dates of the 2019 Overwatch League season, are forward-looking
statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's
actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in
the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include
unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the
risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual
report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form
10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon
information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision
Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard
Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to
update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be
incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future
performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and
are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of
which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ
materially from current expectations.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190426005125/en/
Mark Van LommelOverwatch League949-955-1380
x61147MVanLommel@overwatchleague.com
Miles RitenourAB InBevmedia@anheuser-busch.com
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