American brewing company Anheuser-Busch has been named an esports partner of Madison Square Garden properties CLG and Knicks Gaming.
According to the release, the North American esports organisations will collaborate with Anheuser-Busch on Twitch livestream programming ‘to provide fans with insider access’.
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The announcement is a result of a new multi-year renewal between MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment and the brewery. Alongside CLG and Knicks Gaming, the deal also includes activations with the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and MSG Networks.
Matt Davis, Senior Director of Sponsorships, Anheuser-Busch, commented: “We’re proud to continue our legacy partnership with Madison Square Garden, and by evolving our wildly popular ULTRA Courtside experience and partnering on esports, we are able to bring incredible access to even more fans.
“We aim to create meaningful connections through everything we do, and we’re grateful to have a partner in MSG that shares that mission.”
Anheuser-Busch is primarily known for its beer brands Budweiser, Stella and Bud Light. The latter brand has recently become a prominent name within esports following partnerships with Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, Toronto Ultra and CLG in 2021.
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Exact details of Anheuser-Busch’s activations with CLG and Knicks Gaming have yet to be revealed.
The brewery becomes the ninth partner of Knicks Gaming. Alongside Anheuser-Busch, the NBA 2K League’s commercial portfolio includes the likes of Bud Light Seltzer, SquareSpace, Game Fuel, Dunkin and Foot Locker.
Similarly to Knicks Gaming, CLG’s commercial partners include SquareSpace and Game Fuel as well as brands such as Samsung, Spectrum and Logitech.
Esports Insider says: This is a huge deal for MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment, both in terms of value and scale. Seeing Anheuser-Busch become a partner of CLG and Knicks Gaming highlights the growth of esports and the value of these properties to large brands. It’ll be interesting to see whether Bud Light will receive most of the attention, or whether Anheuser-Busch opt to highlight another one of its brands.