The Esports Foundation names Shikenso as its sponsorship media valuation partner for the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) and the 2026 Esports Nations Cup (ENC). In this role, Shikenso measures how much exposure sponsors are getting throughout the season, reporting that data back to the Esports Foundation and its brand partners.

This isn’t the first time the Esports Foundation has teamed up with Shikenso for sponsorship analytics and measurement. The organisation already had a deal in place for the 2025 Esports World Cup, and for the first time, it is expanding the partnership to the upcoming Esports Nations Cup, scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Media valuation is the process of tracking all brand activity, such as logo showing on screen during broadcasts, brand mentions by commentators, and appearances across the streams of players and creators covering the event activity, and turning it into numbers. For instance, how often a logo appeared, how long it was visible, how it was talked about, and what impact it had on viewers. Shikenso does that by using a mix of computer vision (software that scans video to spot logos and branding) and other data-tracking tools.

At the official announcement, Shikenso mentioned that its AI systems are not limited to tracking logo appearances on screen. They also measure what is said in commentary and chat, audio mentions, broader media coverage of the event, and surveys on brand lift.

Tthe measurement coverage includes Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Kick, Bilibili, Douyin, and other platforms. This year, Snapchat has been added for the first time.

Esports Leaders Paris is on 21st August at the 5-star Hôtel du Collectionneur bringing together senior decision-makers in and around esports and gaming during the closing EWC weekend. Get your pass here.

Arwin Fallah-Shirazi, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Shikenso, said, “Honestly, it’s thrilling to see how much this keeps growing. More platforms, more coverage, more of the world tuning in, and Shikenso is right there measuring all of it. Being trusted to run the largest media measurement in esports history for the Esports Foundation is a real privilege, and we can’t wait to show partners what the full picture looks like.”

In addition to measuring sponsorship ROI, the Esports Foundation has also signed an agreement with another data analytics company, Stream Hatchet, to measure how people watch and engage with EWC’s livestream content.

Subscribe to our TER newsletters here! Including On The Radar a quick weekly wrap up of all esports business stories, and the fortnightly Heat Map, a deeper dive into the stories not to be missed across esports business and culture worldwide.