Prominent esports firm NODWIN Gaming by Nazara Technologies has announced the second season of BGMI Masters Series (BGMS) with official broadcasting and streaming partners Star Sports and Rooter, respectively.
The second season will start from August 4 with 24 teams going head-to-head for a massive prize pool of Rs 2.1 crore. 14 teams out of the 24 are invited while the rest will be decided by Open Qualifiers.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder of NODWIN Gaming, said, “BGMS season 2 doubles down on our commitment to bringing the epitome of BGMI esports to the masses. We have a larger prize pool, larger participation base, and larger distribution with all our partners. We are sure that this year we will amaze you with the games, the production, and the passion only our community can bring. Remember to tune in with your family!”
Due to the success of BGMS season 1 with over 36 million TV viewers, the matches this season will be broadcast in Hindi, English, and Tamil on Star Sports network on TV. This is done in order to appeal to a broader audience and connect players from different backgrounds.
Sanjog Gupta, Head of Sports at Disney Star, said, “Esports is a rapidly emerging category, fueled by the growing gaming culture in India and the global acknowledgement of its status as a sport. The first season of the BGMI Masters’ series, in partnership with NODWIN Gaming, was positioned as the pinnacle tournament for the game in India and demonstrated the potential of a world-class esports competition staged at an elevated scale.”
“Over 36 million viewers tuned in for the first season on TV with more than 40% below the age of 21. Encouraged by the results, we believe that this endeavor – BGMI Masters – will excite the gaming community, drive wider acceptance for esports among non-gamers, and overall, engage a younger demographic on our platforms,” he added.
For people planning to watch the game online, NODWIN has partnered with Rooter as the digital streaming partner. Matches will be broadcast on Rooter’s website and can be accessed from any device. Notably, the digital broadcast of BGMS season 1 had crossed 100 million viewers.
Speaking on the partnership, Dipesh Agarwal, co-founder of Rooter, said, “NODWIN Gaming’s BGMI Masters Series has become the biggest and most loved esports IP in the country, and we are excited to be their exclusive digital streaming partner. From multi-platform distribution strength to sharp, tech-led content creation solutions, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of how Indians consume and engage with esports.”