Chinese e-commerce platform Jing Dong has signed a two-year strategic partnership with China’s League of Legends operator TJ Sports.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the deal, JingDong will become one of the Chinese partners of the upcoming League of Legends global event Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) in Iceland, alongside Chinese dairy brand Momchilovtsi. Mercedes-Benz, OPPO, MasterCard, and Bose. JingDong will act as the global partner of the event.
Lin “Leo” Song, Co-CEO of TJ Sports and Jing Dong Group vice president Tao Ren signed the partnership at a signing ceremony earlier this week. The two will also explore opportunities in a business model they are calling “E-commerce X Esports,” according to the announcement.
Jingdong is one of the few Chinese companies in the world that operates as the owner of League of Legends Pro League (LPL) franchise, a tournament organizer, and esports sponsor. The company also hosted its branded “Jingdong Cup” in China, featuring Dota 2, PUBG, Honor of Kings, and Peacekeeper Elite, and used its e-commerce platforms to sell PC hardware. The competitions were also promoted by Jing Dong in its physical retail locations, internet cafes, and hotels.
On Tuesday, Chinese live streaming platform Huya signed a $310M USD, five-year exclusive media rights deal with TJ Sports for LPL, League of Legends Development League (LDL), and LPL All-Star events.
