T1 brings esports and music together with Spotify partnership

Korean esports organisation T1 has secured a groundbreaking partnership with audio streaming platform Spotify.

Spotify will become the main presenting partner for T1’s upcoming Home Ground event, the three-day festival taking place at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea.

Additionally, Spotify will be launching the T1 Hub, a one-stop destination for fans, giving them access to team playlists, podcasts, player-curated tracks and exclusive content.

Spotify will feature playlists and songs that T1 players listen to before matches, deepening fandom and providing a chance to connect with them through music. The Spotify logo has also been featured on the jersey of the T1 VALORANT team. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

With yet another global brand under its partnership portfolio, T1 continues to maintain its position as one of the leaders in the esports space. Spotify joins the likes of Red Bull, Goal Studio, SOOP, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung Odyssey, Steelseries, Inspire and Secretlab, among others.

Later this summer, T1 will be organising its own esports live festival, T1 Home Ground, featuring official matches from both T1’s League of Legends and VALORANT teams.

According to CEO Joe Marsh, the 2024 T1 Home Ground event generated more than $1m (~£794,000) through tickets, food and beverage, and merchandising. The event highlights how esports teams have sought to diversify revenue streams since the post-COVID era.

Operated by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor, the Korean esports organisation is the most decorated team in the League of Legends esports scene. Under the leadership of legendary mid laner Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-Hyeok., the team has won five world championships.

T1 has recently made headlines after taking down Hanwha Life Esports to qualify for the upcoming Mid-Season Invitational. The series, which saw T1 dominate with a 3-0 win, is currently the most-watched League of Legends series of the year, peaking at nearly 2m viewers.