The M6 World Championship for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) delivered impressive returns in 2024, generating over €115 million in brand value for sponsors, as reported by Shikenso Analytics. This figure combines data from both streaming services (€63.4M) and social media platforms (€51.8M), highlighting the event’s massive global reach and marketing potential.
Data Partnership Fueled Real-Time Sponsor Analysis
MOONTON Games, the developer behind MLBB, collaborated with Shikenso Analytics ahead of the event to capture real-time performance insights for their partners. Thanks to this partnership, the M6 Championship achieved a record-breaking 4.13 million peak viewers, setting a new milestone in the title’s esports history.
Leveraging Shikenso’s detailed analytics, MOONTON revealed that brands received over 3.4 million visible placements during the event. This visibility translated into a staggering 85 billion gross impressions and more than 170 million hours spent engaging with branded elements.
Major Sponsors and Their Contributions
The championship welcomed an extensive roster of sponsor brands, including Qiddiya, Republic of Gamers, Fairrie, Meiji Hello Panda, Secretlab, Hotlink, and JD Sports. These collaborations significantly boosted the event’s reach across gaming audiences.
What Drove the Most Brand Visibility?
MOONTON emphasized that ensuring strong returns on sponsor investments was a top priority. The Shikenso report revealed that exclusivity played a major role in performance. Sponsor assets that were exclusive to a single brand saw up to a 70% increase in value.
Among all assets, the caster desk emerged as the highest-value feature, accounting for almost a third of the total brand exposure. Combined with other top-performing placements such as the stage setup, exclusive sponsor visuals, and in-game overlays, these elements made up 82% of the event’s total media value.
Notably, branded content outside of the broadcast also proved successful. Social media in particular offered excellent return on investment through strategic logo placements and content integrations.
Insights from MOONTON Games
According to Adrian Cher, Head of Global Sales at MOONTON Games, the M Series plays a central role in the growth of MLBB Esports, contributing nearly 20% of the 476 million total watch hours logged in 2024. He explained that working with Shikenso has equipped them with detailed insights into how audiences interact with brand integrations. This transparency, he added, has helped improve sponsor effectiveness and broaden engagement across platforms.
Shikenso Analytics’ Expanding Role in Esports
Since its founding in Germany in 2017, Shikenso Analytics has grown into a leading force in measuring media value across gaming and esports. Most recently, the company entered a multi-year partnership with ESL FACEIT Group, offering analytical services for events on a global scale.