Leading multiplex chain PVR has inked a partnership with NODWIN Gaming to offer a live e-sports tournament experience on the big screen. The two partners are launching in-cinema e-sports live tournaments. This development comes at a time when the pandemic has helped e-sports gain a lot of traction in the country.

Pilot game

The companies said that they will launch a pilot with the popular game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and hope to expand it to other games from different genres. Gaming enthusiasts across the country will be able to participate in the online e-sports cups and in-cinema tournaments with separate prize pools for each city.

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Kamal Gianchandani, Chief of Strategy, PVR, said, “We have always tried to curate new and innovative experiences to help grow our customer base. So our latest partnership is a step in that direction. E-sports in India is still in its nascent stage but growing rapidly in the country. We believe this move will help take e-sports to a wider consumer base and bring it to the mainstream entertainment space.”

Live broadcast

While the initial rounds will be played on mobile phones, the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals of the tournament in each participating city will be broadcast in select PVR cinemas along with live streams on various digital platforms of the two companies.

He added that about 1,000 gamers are expected to register for the NODWIN PVR Cup. In the pilot phase, the tournament will be screened in Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore and Mumbai and each city will have its own separate pool of prize money.

Three revenue streams

Asked about the revenue potential, Gianchandani said, “We will focus on three key streams of revenues. There will be sponsorship opportunities and we will leverage on our relationship with brands. The second stream will be the ability to license streaming rights to multiple platforms or a single platform on an exclusive basis. The third revenue stream will be ticketing for gaming enthusiasts and supporters to be able watch live e-sports on the big screen as gamers compete in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.”

Also see: Why multiplexes are exploring newer revenue options

He added that globally, many broadcasters telecast e-sports competitions and as they gain more traction, broadcasters in India too are expected to look at such opportunities.

Broaden consumer base

The company said that for now it is focusing on the pilot to gauge consumer feedback and hoping to leverage the immersive experience offered by cinemas to woo gaming enthusiasts.

“We want to broaden our consumer base by offering a compelling reason for gaming enthusiasts to come to our theatres. At the same time, we believe a section of our core consumers are also avid e-sports fans and this partnership will enable us to offer them another engaging platform,” Gianchandani added.