The series covers the major tournaments, speaking to the biggest players and keeping across the news and stories both on and off the board

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Sunset+Vine has released the first episode of The World Chess Show, its global TV series for World Chess.

The 26-minute programme series is being distributed internationally by Sunset+Vine’s Media Partnerships division.

The World Chess Show is the new home for the sport on television, covering the major tournaments, speaking to the biggest players and keeping across the news and stories both on and off the board. 

New episodes in the series will air monthly, taking a deep dive into some of the biggest topics dominating the game today.

Subjects covered include new playing formats; the online revolution; the growth of India as the chess capital of the world; the battle of the sexes; the sport’s re-emergence as a cultural phenomenon; and the new rock stars of the sport. 

Sunset+Vine says the series delivers high-quality documentary-style films and content strands in a magazine show format.

For World Chess’ sponsors and stakeholders, the ad-funded barter model managed by the Sunset+Vine Media Partnerships team achieves nearly 2-minutes of embedded sponsor billboards and credits per episode and an average of 3x30-second advertising spots embedded in the commercial breaks associated with every show.

The package will deliver a media value multiple of up to 12:1 on the investment across the series in terms of net sponsorship value and gross advertising value.

Sunset+Vine executive producer Ian Sollors, said: “The world of elite chess is stacked with intriguing characters living lives on and off the circuit in all corners of the globe. Their training habits, competitive rituals, rivalries and allegiances are varied and often complex, which makes telling their stories a compelling process for our production teams and story tellers. This is the ultimate half hour of chess on television with a mission to make the sport more accessible to a whole new audience.” 

Sarsfield Brolly, head of media partnerships at Sunset+Vine, added: “The World Chess Show is an exciting new addition to our branded docu-magazine series portfolio. The series, like the others in our stable, provides a high level of editorial insight into the world of chess but importantly is a valuable marketing tool in delivering both brand awareness and media value to World Chess and its sponsors. We are seeing a real resurgence in this programming format where brands and their agencies can procure tangible, measurable and large-scale value through the programme series that Sunset+Vine produces and distributes.”

Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, said: “This brand new programme series initiative shines a fascinating light on our sport at the same time as taking our stories to a huge global audience as well as providing our sponsors with valuable exposure in their major markets.”