ESL North America and AT&T announced a partnership extension this morning ahead of IEM Chicago.

Tournament organizer ESL and telecommunications giant AT&T have extended their North American partnership this morning according to an official press release. The partnership will bring new experiences to ESL's North American events, including Intel Extreme Masters Chicago, ESL One New York and the ESL Mobile Open.

AT&T To Bring New Experiences to ESL Tournaments

Among the list of new experiences AT&T will bring to ESL events are the following:

Best Seats in the House: AT&T will provide a premium viewing area to deliver an enhanced experience for select AT&T customers onsite.

AT&T will provide a premium viewing area to deliver an enhanced experience for select AT&T customers onsite. AT&T Signing Session and Fast Pass : Fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite players in the designated AT&T signing area. They can even earn a “fast pass” to beat the meet-and-greet lines.

: Fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite players in the designated AT&T signing area. They can even earn a “fast pass” to beat the meet-and-greet lines. Fan Early Access : Select AT&T customers can enter the event before the doors open to the public for a sneak peek at the main stage and more.

: Select AT&T customers can enter the event before the doors open to the public for a sneak peek at the main stage and more. Event App: Fans can download the event app presented by AT&T at IEM Chicago and ESL One New York to stay up to date on the competition, partner activation schedule, latest event news, and other challenges and activities.

AT&T and ESL Extend Last Year's Partnership

ESL and AT&T started their initial partnership in June 2018. Shiz Suzuki, AVP of Sponsorships & Experimental Marketing at AT&T, had this to say on the partnership extension:

“We’re looking forward to these and even more ways we can use the breadth of AT&T to work with ESL using our retail footprint and digital channels to engage fans and players across the U.S. ...these opportunities with ESL give our customers and other esports fans access to some of the most thrilling moments throughout the year.”

This extension continues the spread of non-endemic brand sponsorships into the esports space. T-Mobile, for example, sponsors the Overwatch League' itself and the Houston Outlaws. Additionally, BMW partnered with multiteam organization Cloud9 earlier this year.