Global Chess League Announces Worldwide Broadcast Rights for the Inaugural Edition
The Global Chess League, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, today announced the list of global broadcasters who will join the league’s broadcast footprint for the inaugural edition in association with the Dubai Sports Council from June 21st, 2023, to July 2nd, 2023.
Tasking Protocol Sports Marketing with the exclusive worldwide distribution mandate, Global Chess League has agreed on media rights deals with some of the biggest names in global sports broadcasting to make chess a truly global sport, reaching hundreds of millions of potential households across 225 countries and territories. Notable names in sports broadcasting who have signed on for Global Chess League include Eurosport, DAZN, Saudi Sports Channel, Shahid, StarTimes, Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, Verdens Gang, WELT, Sportklub, TAPDMV, The Gaming Channel, S Sport, and more.
Discussing the first major broadcast footprint for the sport of chess, Jagdish Mitra, Chairperson of the Global Chess League Board said, “Global Chess League is meant to be a global phenomenon, and we intend to bring about a new way of viewing chess and fan engagement. In such a scenario, it is of utmost importance that the league reaches a diverse cohort of audiences across the world, and we are glad that such reputed names in the world of sports broadcast and streaming have decided to partner with us. We are confident that with a seamless broadcast and streaming experience, we will activate a new set of chess fans worldwide by the end of the league.”
The annual league will feature a unique mixed-team format wherein, each of the six franchises will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system played simultaneously. The top two teams will compete for the Global Chess League Championship title on July 2nd, 2023.
With a wide-ranging broadcast footprint encompassing almost every territory worldwide on OTT and over 140 linear broadcast markets, Global Chess League will be the most widely distributed chess tournament of all time.
About Tech Mahindra Global Chess League:
The Global Chess League is the world's first and largest official franchise league of its kind, with chess players from all over the world competing in a unique joint team format. It is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra, a part of the Mahindra Group, and FIDE. The league will feature male and female chess champions competing in the same team. Playing on the popular Rapid format, the league's joint male-female teams will have the rare distinction of being a unique multiplayer team in the world of professional sports. In addition, the League will be the first ever Live televised chess event of its kind that will help offer fans a unique viewing experience. Tech Mahindra and FIDE will explore innovative ways to promote the game through interactive technology-enabled platforms by leveraging next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, among others.
For more information on Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, please visit:
https://globalchessleague.com/
For more information on Tech Mahindra, please contact:
Abhilasha Gupta, Global Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Email: ABHILASHA.GUPTA@TECHMAHINDRA.COM; MEDIA.RELATIONS@TECHMAHINDRA.COM
About FIDE
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. Constituted as a non-governmental institution, it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999. FIDE currently has its headquarters in Lausanne, but it was initially founded in 1924 in Paris under the motto “Gens una Sumus” (Latin for “We are one Family”). It was one of the very first International Sports Federations, alongside the governing bodies of the sports of Football, Cricket, Swimming, and Auto Racing. It is now one of the largest, encompassing 199 countries as affiliate members, in the form of National Chess Federations. Chess is nowadays a truly global sport, with dozens of millions of players in all the continents, and more than 60 million games on average played every day.
Contact: press@fide.com
About Protocol Sports Marketing Ltd.
Protocol Sports Marketing Ltd. (www.protocolsports.com) is the global rights distributor, sponsorship agency and sports marketing agent that specializes in developing new and meaningful opportunities for rights holders and sports federations who sanction and/or produce live sports events and sports-related content. The company avoids the big box bubble approach to distribution, preferring instead to provide broadcasters, streaming platforms and rights holders with a personalized approach that prioritizes organic and sustainable exponential growth.
Contact: info@protocolsports.com