Nodwin Gaming and Aitel has entered into a strategic partnership to further the growth of esports in India. The partnership has been kicked off with the launch of Airtel India Esports Tour, which is the first and largest property of its kind in this segment. It will also have a national ranking and awarding system for Indian Esports players based on their year-long performance across top tournaments will be used as a base to create a points table for all participants.
According to Adarsh Nair, chief product officer, Bharti Airtel, e-sports is taking a higher share of where our youth spend their time. “Gaming is the next frontier of entertainment and it gives us great pleasure to announce our partnership with NODWIN to unlock the potential of E-sports in India,” he added.
Airtel India Esports Tour will initially cover all NODWIN tournaments across gaming titles of PUBG Mobile, CS:GO, Clash of Clans, FIFA, among others. The coverage will extend to all iconic NODWIN tournaments such as the India Premiership by NODWIN, Dreamhack India, The Northeast Cup, KO Fight Nights and PAN Fest. This will also cover NODWIN operated tournaments in India. The broadcast of the Airtel India Esports Tour will be available on Airtel’s digital platforms and help with taking this emerging format to newer audiences.
“NODWIN Gaming believes that by binding the elements of independent tournaments into a single storyline we will give rise to a new culture in the competitive world of Indian esports. The teams and players will now look up to perform throughout the year rather than focusing on few big standalone tournaments in a year,” Akshat Rathee, founder and MD, NODWIN Gaming.
Given India’s large youth population and rapidly growing internet penetration, E-sports has the potential to become a large part of the country’s mainstream sporting culture. It is estimated that by 2021, online gaming will become a $1 billion plus market in India with over 620 million gamers.
