NODWIN Gaming in association with Star Sports has announced the return of India’s biggest esports tournament, BGMI Masters Series. Building upon its success in season 1, the upcoming season 2 of the BGMI Masters Series which kicks off on August 4, will feature 24 teams, and offer one of the highest-ever prize pools of Rs 2.1 crore for a non-publisher event.
Among the 24 teams, 14 esports outfits will be invited directly, while the remaining 10 spots are to be earned by the victors from the open qualifier where anyone in India can participate.
“Last year, we took a bold and historical leap of faith by airing the BGMI Masters Series on primetime television with our partners Star Sports. That leap turned out to be an incredible success, revolutionizing the esports ecosystem and transforming how esports is traditionally consumed in India. BGMS season 2 doubles down on our commitment to bringing the epitome of BGMI esports to the masses. We have a larger prize pool, larger participation base, and larger distribution with all our partners,” Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director, NODWIN Gaming said.
The television broadcast of the inaugural season of the BGMI Masters Series (2022) was a success, garnering more than 36 million viewers over the course of the tournament. BGMI Masters Series Season 2 will be broadcast on Star Sports in three different languages – Hindi, English, and Tamil. The initiative undertaken by NODWIN Gaming, and Star Sports aims to connect core esports with viewers from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds, making esports content more inclusive and appealing to a broader audience. Beyond the regular broadcast, Star Sports has also announced additional programming to provide viewers with a distinctive esports experience, setting the popular sports network as a key destination for BGMI enthusiasts.
“Esports is a rapidly emerging category, fueled by the growing gaming culture in India and the global acknowledgement of its status as a sport. The first season of the BGMI Masters’ series, in partnership with NODWIN Gaming, was positioned as the pinnacle tournament for the game in India and demonstrated the potential of a world-class esports competition staged at an elevated scale. Over 36 million viewers tuned in for the first season on TV with more than 40% below the age of 21,” Sanjog Gupta, head – sports, Disney Star said.
The digital broadcast of the Masters Series 2022 followed suit with the television broadcasts’ performance and surpassed the 100 million viewership milestone, setting a new record in the history of Indian esports. For the upcoming BGMI Masters Series Season 2, NODWIN Gaming has announced its partnership with Rooter as the championship’s digital streaming partner.
NODWIN Gaming has also announced its partnership with Indian two-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor Company as the mobility partner for the upcoming season of the BGMI Masters Series. Under the aegis of this collaboration, TVS Raider, will exclusively be the mobility partner of the BGMI Masters Series Season 2.