SAP has recently announced a data partnership with the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) to develop new statistics segments and provide insights into player performance records for the 2021 Summer Playoffs. Leveraging SAP data services, the collaboration also aims to equip broadcasters with in-depth analysis to further improve the fan experience.
In recent years, the German enterprise software company has been making moves in the esports scene with leagues, teams, and organisations utilising its solutions and knowledge of data science to simplify their business operations and enrich the spectator experience. Last year, SAP was selected to be the official analytics partner for the ESL One Birmingham Online 2020 to deliver an intensified overall viewing experience for Dota 2 fans. In 2018, the tech giant made data analytics accessible and appealing to tournament spectators as it debuted the live broadcast of the ESL One competition in Hamburg.
During that same year, SAP signed a three-year deal with multi-regional professional esports group Team Liquid to co-develop software based on in-game data, leveraging the SAP HANA business data platform with predictive analytics and machine learning functionalities. The SAP Global Sponsorship allowed Team Liquid to achieve greater precision in areas such as team and player performance and scouting new talent. Last May, they have announced the fourth extension of their partnership. The two entities’ collaboration has enabled SAP to work with the LEC stats team since Spring 2020.
Reinforcing its position as a reliable advocate and supporter of the esports industry, SAP has recently been tapped by the LEC to integrate statistics into live streams available to broadcasters and fans during the 2021 Summer Playoffs finals. The data partnership intends to deliver innovative insights that will equip commentators with three analytical visualisations, providing an in-depth analysis to enhance the fan experience.
LEC Adds Value to Viewing Experience With SAP Data Services
Furthermore, LEC player actions are contextualised for players and fans through the process of comparing structured historical game data stored in SAP HANA Cloud against live data using SAP data services such as real-time data processing. In a statement, Lars Lamadé, Head of Global Sponsorships at SAP, shared:
“With our experience in in-game analytics in the MOBA genre, we are proud to now bring our knowledge of data and software to the LEC, providing relevant context and new ways for League broadcasts, as well as delivering richer and more meaningful insights to the audience in the live stream.”
Moreover, fans can expect to see statistics around key game elements such as overall player performance records, the time to complete an objective, and the use of items. There will also be insights into fan-favourite LEC players’ performances including their ranking against an average of all professional players in multiple circumstances. Commenting on the new partnership, Zeynep Gencaga, Senior Manager of Business Development and Partnerships for Europe and MENA at Riot Games, said:
“There is no doubt SAP is a global powerhouse, and the company has carried over its vast knowledge and experience in enterprise application software into our world of esports through this partnership.”
“SAP’s engineers have been working tirelessly with our team to help innovate the visualisation of statistics to further nourish our LEC storylines, giving an extra edge to every little bit of data. We are very excited to welcome SAP as a Summer Finals Partner to showcase the fruits of our collaboration to the wider esports community,” Gencaga detailed.
