Play Magnus : PMG) – Meltwater becomes title partner of Champions Chess Tour

3.1.2021 10:00:00 CET | Play Magnus AS | Non-regulatory press releases

(Oslo, 3 January 2021) – Meltwater, a leading global provider of media intelligence and social analytics solutions, will be the title partner for the Champions Chess Tour.

Airthings Masters, the first Major tournament of the Champions Chess Tour, has attracted millions of viewers across the world over the holiday season, with the final taking place today. The tournament airs on Eurosport globally, on NRK in Norway and draws significant viewership on online streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. A new partner now enters the game, as Play Magnus Group and Meltwater have signed an agreement for Meltwater to become the title partner for the Champions Chess Tour. From now on, the Tour will be named the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.

Andreas Thome, CEO of Play Magnus Group, said: “This means a lot for the Tour. We have used Meltwater’s products for a long time at Play Magnus Group. Social media and traditional media intelligence is critical to all organizers of sports events to get the necessary insights. We currently use Meltwater’s services both for evaluating our internal strategy and for reporting impact to our partners. Meltwater is an excellent brand and partner to join our mission of increasing the popularity of chess and the Champions Chess Tour.”

“We believe that the potential of chess as a spectator sport is enormous, and throughout 2020 we have been building our flagship Champions Chess Tour. The partnership with Meltwater adds evidence to the attractiveness of chess for brands. This next step increases our confidence that the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour will be an important part of Play Magnus Group’s identity going forward and will inspire millions of chess fans around the world,” Andreas Thome says.

The title partnership with Meltwater is a more comprehensive agreement and comes in addition to the previously announced partnerships with Skilling, Airthings, Opera and Julius Bär.

With this agreement, Meltwater also becomes a personal partner for Magnus Carlsen, four-time World Chess Champion, and co-founder of Play Magnus Group. 

“I’m thrilled that Meltwater is partnering with the Champions Chess Tour. Meltwater is at their core closely linked with the game of chess through their work in analytics and strategy. I look forward to working with Meltwater on the Tour and being their brand ambassador,” Magnus Carlsen said. 

Jørn Lyseggen, Executive Chairman and Founder of Meltwater, said: “At Meltwater we believe in empowering companies with objective insight to make more informed decisions, like how the world’s best chess players prepare for their tournaments. The Champions Chess Tour is the perfect vehicle for us to further spread our mission of enabling more companies to make their next move with confidence. In a chess game, both players basically have the same information. It is how one reads and analyzes the information from the opponent that determines the outcome.”

“The social responsibility aspects of Play Magnus’ mission inspire us at Meltwater, as it advocates the positive benefits of chess for children and adults alike as well as its accessibility. Unlike most sports that require expensive equipment, all you need is a chess board and pieces to get started – and you can do it anywhere,” Lyseggen added.    

Meltwater was founded in Oslo, Norway, in 2001 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 50 offices across six continents. The company has 1,700 employees, 28,000 corporate customers and was listed on Euronext Growth Oslo in December 2020.

“Assuming the possibility of travel, we plan to organize the final of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour in San Francisco in September,” Jørn Lyseggen said.

The current season of the Champions Chess Tour runs from November 2020 to September 2021. Magnus Carlsen and the rest of the elite players of the world compete in a total of ten online tournaments. The second tournament, Airthings Masters, runs from 26 December 2020 to 3 January 2021 and is broadcast on NRK and Eurosport, among other platforms.

Play Magnus Group offers services where everyone can play, watch and learn chess. The Group’s services consist of the Play Magnus App Suite, chess24, Chessable, ichess.net and CoChess, in addition to the Champions Chess Tour.

For further comments, contact:

Andreas Thome, CEO, Play Magnus Group
[phone]
[e-mail]

Arne Horvei, Tour Director, Play Magnus Group
[phone]
[e-mail]

Geir Arne Drangeid, IR and Communications, Meltwater
[phone]
[e-mail]

About the 2021 Champions Chess Tour 

The 2021 Champions Chess Tour will, for the first time in history, determine the world’s best chess player over a full competitive season of online chess. Beginning in November 2020, the Champions Chess Tour will feature monthly tournaments culminating in a final tournament in September 2021. The best chess players in the world will compete in a total of ten tournaments of rapid chess. All games will take place online on www.chess24.com with players competing for a total prize pool of USD 1.5 million. 

About Play Magnus Group 

Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and students. The company offers e-learning and entertainment services via its market leading brands: chess24, Chessable, ichess.net, CoChess, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Champions Chess Tour. The Group’s mission is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn a living from chess.

About Meltwater

Meltwater is a leading global provider of social and media intelligence. By examining millions of posts each day from social media platforms, blogs and news sites, Meltwater helps companies make better, more informed decisions based on insight from the outside. Meltwater was founded in Oslo, Norway, in 2001 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 50 offices across six continents. The company has 1,700 employees and 28,000 corporate customers, including industry leaders in several sectors. 

For more information visit meltwater.com

Disclaimer

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

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