Reliance joins hands with BLAST for esports business in India

Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance's wholly-owned subsidiary, Rise, and BLAST Esports on Wednesday announced their partnership to conduct esports business in India.

The strategic partnership will form a new JV entity and it will bring together BLAST’s esports media production expertise, publisher relationships, IPs, and Jio’s technology expertise, distribution reach, and local relationships to host these events on the JioGames platform for sustainable growth and innovation in the industry.

The JV will cater to the entire esports spectrum:

• Services to publishers and sponsors
• End-to-end tournament management
• Targeted marketing
• Production and broadcasting

"India is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing gaming markets in the world, with a rapidly expanding esports audience and appetite for more competitive gaming experiences. This joint venture will not only help grow the Indian esports ecosystem but also create new pathways for local talent to shine on the global stage," said Robbie Douek, CEO for BLAST.

“We are very confident that with this partnership, India esports will be able to realise its full potential. With this JV, Reliance will extend its interest in sports into esports and leverage RISE's ability to market and promote sporting events and teams, along with Jio providing its distribution and technology expertise," said Devang Bhimjyani, Head of Reliance Sports.

Esports has become a major attraction for the global sports bodies with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) planning to start an annual series and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) included it in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games roster.