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WOW, a leading OTT service operated by Sky, is the new naming rights partner of the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL), becoming the “WOW Virtual Bundesliga”. Beginning immediately, WOW’s logo will feature on all branding related to the DFL’s eFootball competition, including digital communication platforms as well as during all offline VBL events and additional areas of competition promotion. In addition, WOW acquires a comprehensive rights package and will broadcast key moments in a range of content formats.
Caterina Preti, Senior Vice President OTT at Sky Deutschland: “The partnership with the Virtual Bundesliga will make WOW’s excellent streaming service even better known in the eSports segment. Gaming and eSports are highly relevant for our target group and WOW offers the perfect streaming content for them. This includes outstanding live sport, featuring the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and numerous other football competitions and sports, as well as highlight series based on well-known video games such as Halo and HBO’s The Last of Us. The WOW team is passionate about all the Bundesliga clubs – and that of course includes the virtual teams. This is why we see a strong basis for profitable involvement in the Virtual Bundesliga environment.”
WOW is synonymous with the widest range of sports and entertainment content and the highest quality at an attractive price. Subscribers in Germany enjoy easy and flexible access to the best series titles, the latest blockbusters soon after their cinema release, and Sky’s entire live sports offering. This includes all of the Bundesliga’s Saturday matches, and all Bundesliga 2 matches.
Jörg Höflich, Head of Virtual Bundesliga at the DFL: “The further increase in the number of clubs taking part this season is making a significant contribution to the positive perception of the VBL. This is enabling us to offer an attractive range of partnerships in the young and dynamic environment of eSports. With Sky Deutschland and its streaming brand WOW, we are delighted to have gained a partner from the world of digital media offerings that has a very strong affinity with football and is a long-standing partner of the DFL. We have been actively looking for this kind of target group and brand fit for the naming rights partnership.”
The DFL Members Assembly incorporated the VBL as an eFootball competition of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in the DFL statutes in May 2022. In 2012, the DFL became the first professional football league to have its own eSport competition when it launched the VBL in partnership with EA SPORTS. The VBL Open by WOW, which is open to all individual players, is directly integrated into the EA SPORTS FC game. Since its introduction, the competition has enjoyed ever-increasing popularity with up to 130,000 participants per season.
The VBL Club Championship by WOW was also launched as a competition between Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs in 2018. Both competitions are brought together first in the play-offs of the VBL Open by WOW and ultimately in the final tournament, the VBL Grand Final by WOW. The VBL Open by WOW started on November 1. The VBL Club Championship by WOW kicked off its latest season on November 18/19 with the largest field of participants to date, representing a total of 35 clubs.
