The NBA 2K League Is Expanding Internationally With A Team In Shanghai

The NBA 2K League, also known as the eSports equivalent to the National Basketball Association, is expanding by adding its first international team in Shanghai. To launch the new team, the NBA 2K League is partnering with global eSports organization Gen.G who also happens to have one of its five headquarters located in Shanghai.
The team is set to join the league in 2020. However, unlike all other NBA 2K teams which all have NBA counterparts and are all based in the U.S., the new eSports team will not fall into either category. The squad will be based overseas with no NBA team affiliation. Such a decision proves eSports are not only flourishing within the U.S. but have recognition within the global market.
“Gen.G is the ideal organization to launch our first team from outside of North America, and we look forward to working with Gen.G to reach new fans in Shanghai and identify elite talent across Asia,” stated NBA 2K League managing director Brendan Donohue.
Gen.G will be the Asian hub for the league working on expanding the brand within Asia and find and develop new talent. The hope is to continue to increase understanding around the sport through both various branding and programming efforts.
eSports is becoming increasingly popular overseas, especially in Asia. Therefore, the move to Shanghai is not unprecedented.
“Companies are now beginning to see the true potential of this region, given the rollout of new game platforms, new titles, and a rapidly growing audience,” stated Drew Holt-Kentwell, founder of esports marketing company Catalyst Esports Solutions. “Current esports audiences are generally young, easily engaged, and ready to spend, and companies are just now starting to realize that this is a ripe and juicy market for their products.”
According to a Newzoo, the leading global provider of games and esports analytics, the Asia-Pacific region boasts an eSports audience of over 98.6 million. Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamic areas, and Newzoo expects the audience to expand to over 31.9 million in 2019.
Asia also saw the highest level of viewers in 2018 according to muchneeded.com: 51% from Asia Pacific, 18% Europe, 13% Vietnam, 18% in the rest of the world.

This past July, NBA 2K announced a partnership with multimedia giant Tencent to stream the league’s Finals across Tencent News, Tencent Sports and Tencent Video.
“Tencent is the ideal partner to distribute our games and bring the excitement of the NBA 2K League to fans in China,” stated NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue. “This partnership illustrates the popularity of esports and interest in the NBA 2K League among its hundreds of millions of daily users.”
“The NBA 2K League is a world-famous professional esports league,” stated Tencent Sports General Manager Ewell Zhao. “Tencent Sports hopes the NBA 2K League will provide a new way to bring the charm of basketball and sports to more people.”
The eSports market is expected to continue to grow exponentially in revenue and viewership. Therefore, strategic partnerships with Tencent and Gen.G are crucial for the global growth of the NBA 2K League.
eSports content is continually evolving. As more teams enter the space, viewership will increase, giving advertisers more opportunities to enter the marketplace and engage with an entirely new audience.

