Sauber Esports and KICK have joined forces in an exciting title partnership, giving birth to Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK Esports. As an ambitious streaming site, KICK aims to make its mark in the esports world by collaborating with Sauber Esports. The newly formed team will compete in the F1 Esports Pro Championship, with the ultimate goal of securing the World Championship trophy for the first time in the team’s history.
Expanding into Esports
The partnership between KICK and Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK Esports is a natural progression for the rapidly growing live streaming site. Recognizing the importance of esports as part of its long-term growth strategy, KICK aims to tap into a young, engaged, and global audience by exploring synergies with the renowned racing brand.
Streaming Exclusively on KICK
The drivers of Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK Esports, whose lineup is set to be announced soon, will exclusively stream their content on KICK. With a commitment to provide between two and five hours of weekly content on their individual channels, the partnership offers a fresh approach and unprecedented visibility for both KICK and the Alfa Romeo F1 Team. Moreover, the team’s car, the C43, will prominently display the KICK branding in the F1 23 game, further enhancing the partnership’s visibility and showcasing KICK’s unique creator-centric approach.
KICK’s Creator-First Model
Founded in October 2022, kick.com is built upon a creator-first model. During its beta launch, the platform achieved remarkable success, garnering over 200,000 sign-ups within 24 hours. Within just six months, kick.com has attracted top entertainers and streamers, boasting a user base of more than five million active registered users as of May 2023. The platform’s rapid growth is evidenced by the staggering number of over 100 million visits in the last month alone.
A New Audience and Demographic
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the Team Representative for Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK Esports, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, emphasizing the importance of reaching a new audience and demographic. Recognizing the natural connection between streamers and gamers, Bravi believes that leading brands in both fields should collaborate. He anticipates showcasing their esports content to a fresh set of future fans, highlighting their significance for the future of esports and Formula One as a whole. Bravi also acknowledges the role esports can play in introducing new enthusiasts to racing, with some even making the transition from sim-racing and esports to real-world racing.
An Immersive Gaming Experience
Akhil Sarin, the Director of Acquisition at kick.com, shared his excitement about the partnership, stating that the aim is to redefine how the world engages with esports. By combining the advancements of the KICK platform with Sauber Motorsport’s esports team’s exceptional skill, they seek to create an electrifying and immersive gaming experience that connects fans worldwide like never before. Sarin assures esports enthusiasts that they can anticipate thrilling gameplay and real-time celebrations of victories, showcasing the future of gaming.
