The Overwatch League announced Friday that it has added Coca-Cola as its official beverage partner ahead of the 2019 season.
Coca-Cola joins returning sponsorship partners Toyota, T-Mobile, HP and Intel as some of the major brands that the league has signed.
Coca-Cola's sponsorship will extend to the "entire competitive Overwatch esports ecosystem," including Overwatch Contenders, Open Division, the North American Tespa competitions, the Overwatch World Cup and BlizzCon. While terms haven't been disclosed, the multiyear deal will give the beverage powerhouse exclusivity with all 20 teams in the league and events across the collegiate and amateur levels as well.
Brandon Snow, chief revenue officer of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, said in a statement that the partnership is "the perfect pairing between two businesses that share common values."
This isn't Coca-Cola's first foray into esports. The brand has entered into partnerships with Riot Games for League of Legends and EA Sports for FIFA between 2016 and 2018. Most of their deals have fallen under their Coke Esports brand and include tournament sponsorships and even in-game integration with things like FIFA 18's story mode, The Journey: Hunter Returns, where the main character becomes a brand ambassador for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
The partnership with Coca-Cola comes alongside the Overwatch League's efforts to expand their broadcast reach with a variety of new deals. The semifinals and finals of the first two stages are set to air on ABC, while DisneyXD and ESPN2 will also air different games throughout the season. Details of the agreement between the Overwatch League and Coca-Cola will be disclosed in the coming weeks, the companies said in a statement.
The second season of Overwatch League begins Thursday.
