Spectrum and NRG Esports expand partnership

Renewing NRG and Spectrum’s ongoing partnership

NRG Esports is an entertainment company focused on professional gaming, originally formed by the co-owners of the Sacramento Kings NBA team. NRG is a major player in online streaming content on Twitch, TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms. It currently has teams in League of Legends, Overwatch, Counter-Strike 2, and Rocket League, among others.

On Oct. 25, 2024, Spectrum and NRG announced that they would be continuing their current partnership and expanding it “to create innovative gaming experiences and content for fans across the United States.” Their original partnership, which began in 2019, gave Spectrum naming rights to NRG’s Los Angeles headquarters, the NRG Spectrum Castle, as well as Spectrum branding on NRG teams’ jerseys.

Spectrum is one of several organizations that partner with NRG, alongside Intel, AMD, Rockstar Energy Drink, the U.S. Army National Guard, Bud Light, Hot Pockets, and others.

Storm the Castle

In addition to the ongoing naming rights, NRG and Spectrum have announced an event series they are calling “Storm the Castle,” which will involve themed fan events hosted at the NRG Spectrum Castle, temporarily converting the location into a mini theme park.

The first of these events, which took place on Oct. 25–26, transformed the building into a Minecraft-themed haunted house. The event also featured a musical performance by the rapper KYLE.

Spectrum and NRG have said that there are more events to come in the future.

In addition to these events, NRG’s casual gaming brand, Full Squad Gaming, will conduct a “Gaming Tour of America,” which will involve taking the group on the road to interact with fans and influencers in the hopes of creating viral content.

Exclusive internet provider for NRG

Another main pillar of the deal is designating Spectrum as the exclusive TV, internet, and mobile provider for NRG. Although not as flashy as themed parties and arena names, this part of the deal will probably have the most direct impact for fans of NRG who watch the company’s content online. Spectrum will be powering NRG’s entire media empire and showing off their own internet and Wi-Fi capabilities in the process.

According to a statement from Spectrum’s Chief Marketing Officer, Sharon Peters, published in its press release, “NRG is consistently pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming and esports. From the NRG Spectrum Castle to the Gaming Tour of America, we’re excited to bring our fastest and most reliable Internet and WiFi technology and NRG’s vision to life for gaming communities in Los Angeles and across the country.”

Spectrum and NRG are touting this partnership as a way to deliver innovations in online gaming and content creation, though we’ll have to see what this means in practice for esports fans.