Chinese League of Legends esports fans will have to switch to Huya for the next five years if they want to catch all the action. The live-streaming platform has signed a five-year deal with TJ Sports, who operate League of Legends esports in China on Riot's behalf.
According to The Esports Observer, who broke the news, the deal is worth just over 2 billion Chinese Yuan, which converts to about 310 million U.S. dollars. With the deal, Huya will be the only platform for Chinese viewers to watch any League of Legends esports tournament played in China. This includes the main league, the LPL, but also the academy league (LDL).
The major international competitions, such as the Mid-Season Invitational and the League of Legends World Championship, are not part of the deal, even if they would be played in China. Last year, competing company Bilibili signed a three-year deal for exclusive rights to those large events.
An upcoming change to the League of Legends client would shut the door for third parties to acquire valuable data and share the data with the public.
Image courtesy of Riot Games.
