Telecommunications company Claro, founded in Brazil by Mexican telecom giant América Móvil, announced its newest move into Brazilian esports by closing a sponsorship with INTZ, one of the main esports organizations in the country, and launching a 12-month-long esports circuit for amateurs.
The circuit, named Arena Gaming, will feature a different game and a $25K BRL (roughly $4.9K USD) prize pool per month. It will kick off with a Valorant tournament on June 14, with the finals set for June 26.
In Brazil, where competitors such as Vivo and Oi also hold a strong presence in esports, Claro sponsored events such as Riot Games’ League of Legends Challenger Circuit, now extinct due to the adoption of the franchise model by the Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL). The company had held off on investments after the COVID-19 pandemic. A new move into the scene was made in September 2020 when it sponsored and broadcast the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament Convergence Invitational.
Arena Gaming will be organized in partnership with Twitch and exclusive for Claro clients to register. Games to be featured will include PC, console, and mobile.
Regarding the deal with INTZ, which is the first esports team to be sponsored by the telecom, the Claro brand will be featured in the team’s jerseys for all esports, team social media channels, pro player’s socials, live streams, and other marketing activations to be announced. The contract is valid for one year, in which the company will be promoting its online gaming service Claro Gaming.
Claro also holds a strong presence in traditional sports and in esports outside its home country, being one of the main sponsors of the Argentinian esports scene.
