Pernod Ricard Partners With BLAST Paris Major

Credit: BLAST

Tournament organizer BLAST announced Monday that it has signed a partnership agreement with alcohol company Pernod Ricard to serve as a sponsor of the upcoming BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This new deal is a bit of a milestone for BLAST, as it is the first group-wide esports move from Pernod Ricard and its brands.

Under the terms of the deal, Pernod Ricard-owned brands Absolut Vodka, Ballantine’s Scotch whisky, and Jameson Irish Whiskey will work with BLAST during the event to create branded content with “key players” and “share untold stories of past legends, current champs and the broader Counter Strike community through behind the scenes content,” according to a release.

They will also sponsor the Overtime Show (with Paris Major broadcast talent discussing “all things Counter-Strike“), and host fan-led watch parties in multiple markets, receive digital branding across social media and during broadcasts, and help support activations such as giveaways to fans.

The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 takes place May 5 – 9, and will serve as the last big CS:GO event of 2023. Next season the entire circuit will move over the Counter-Strike 2, which is set for a tentative release sometime this summer. 

The event, which will be held before a live audience, will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris, and will feature a $1.25M USD prize pool. It will also be broadcast in more than 100 territories and 23 languages.

Editor’s note: Added a correction to the date – we had it as being in April, when it fact it is taking place in May.