Manager Media Rights & D2C China

Team: Commercial

Activity: Full-time

Role grade: Manager (6)

Direct reports: 0

Indirect reports: 0

Reporting to: Senior Manager Media Rights Operations

Role location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Job Purpose: As the Manager Media Rights & D2C China, you will be the day-to-day engine for all Esports World Cup Foundation media rights and fan monetization activities in China. You will coordinate platform relationships, support negotiations, and ensure flawless execution of contracts with Chinese streaming platforms, broadcasters, and key partners. In parallel, you will help unlock new D2C monetization opportunities in China by integrating merchandise, in-game items, digital passes, and other value-added products into partner ecosystems.

You will work closely with Distribution, Product, Games, Marketing, and external agencies to maximize both reach and revenue for the Esports World Cup and Esports Nations Cup in China.

Duties and Responsibilities

China media rights strategy & deal execution

• Support the development and implementation of EWCF’s China media rights strategy, aligned with global distribution goals and local market dynamics.

• Contribute to deal structures with Chinese platforms and broadcasters (e.g., rights packaging, exclusivity, co-streaming, MG vs. rev share, marketing reinvestment logic).

• Prepare and support negotiations with platforms and agencies, including business cases, benchmarking, and internal alignment with Commercial, Finance, and Legal.

• Ensure contract terms are correctly reflected in documentation and support renewals and extensions in line with EWCF strategic priorities.

Key account management for Chinese platforms

• Act as day-to-day key account manager for Chinese media partners ensuring strong relationships and regular touchpoints.

• Coordinate content rights delivery, scheduling, and platform-specific content plans together with Broadcast & Production, Games, and Content teams.

• Track partner KPIs (viewership, engagement, marketing delivery, in-platform promotion) and propose optimizations to maximize performance.

• Manage internal and external communication around all China media rights topics, ensuring timely updates to senior stakeholders.

D2C & fan monetization in China

• Identify and help develop China-specific monetization opportunities in collaboration with platforms and publishers, such as:

• integration of EWC merchandise or tickets into partner ecosystems,

• EWC-branded digital items, skins, or passes,

• premium feeds / extra POVs, data overlays or freemium/premium bundles tailored to Chinese fans.

• Coordinate with the global D2C team to localize global concepts (EWC+, passes, fantasy, loyalty) to the China market and ensure technical and operational feasibility with local partners.

• Support revenue modeling for China D2C initiatives and feed local insights into global D2C and fan monetization roadmaps.

Cross-functional coordination & delivery

• Work as the operational hub for China across Distribution, Product, Games, Marketing, and Creator teams to ensure contract obligations, content plans, and marketing deliverables are met.

• Coordinate with agencies (e.g., local sales houses, marketing agencies, consulting partners) to brief and manage their work on media rights and D2C topics.

• Prepare materials for steering meetings, internal updates, and exec reviews on China performance and next steps.

Measurement, reporting & insights

• Consolidate and analyze China viewership, engagement, and revenue performance across all platforms and D2C products.

• Build recurring reports and dashboards for internal stakeholders, highlighting learnings, risks, and growth opportunities in China.

• Share best practices and China insights with the wider organization to inform global media rights and monetization strategy.

Education and Experience

• 5+ years of experience in media rights, digital media, business development, and fan monetization, ideally in esports, gaming, sports, or entertainment.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Media, Economics, or a related field.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep understanding of Chinese digital and social platforms (e.g., Douyin, Bilibili, Huya, Kuaishou, WeChat, Weibo) and their monetization models.

• Demonstrated experience in negotiating or managing media rights / strategic partnerships in China (platforms, broadcasters, publishers, or agencies).

• Strong commercial and analytical skills, including the ability to build business cases, understand complex deal structures (MG, rev share, commission, VAT/WHT implications), and model revenue scenarios.

• Experience working with D2C concepts such as subscriptions, virtual items, digital passes, or loyalty programs is a strong plus.

• Proven track record of operating in cross-functional, international environments with multiple stakeholders and tight timelines.

• Excellent relationship-building skills and the ability to work with senior counterparts in China and globally.

• Fluent/native-live Mandarin and very good English (written and verbal).

• Passion for esports, gaming, and digital culture in China.

Nice to have:

• Experience working at/with gaming conventions with on-ground activations

• In-depth knowledge of the Saudi Arabian gaming culture

• Fluent in Arabic, Chinese/Mandarin, Korean, or Japanese

Benefits

• Relocation support

• Transportation allowance

• Competitive compensation

• Housing allowance

• VIP medical insurance

• Opportunity to work on a new exciting project with a group of passionate professionals. You will get the freedom to excel and make a real impact

Diversity disclaimer

Our mission is to build a diverse organization where our members, regardless of background or identity, have a sense of belonging. We genuinely believe that thanks to creating a collaborative environment where different perspectives are valued, we can achieve more. Together, we want to reshape the boundaries of what is achievable in the esports domain.

Compliance Notice:
Elevate Talent is working in partnership with Esports World Cup for this recruitment process. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your personal data will be collected, managed, controlled, and stored by both Elevate Talent and Esports World Cup in accordance with applicable data protection laws and regulations.