Roku has been announced as the North American streaming home for the inaugural Enhanced Games on May 24th at 9pm EST/6pm PST, the two companies announced today. The Enhanced Games are an elite sports competition that aims to celebrate athletic excellence while exploring the limits of human performance. Combining scientific innovation, medically approved performance enhancement usage, and a deep commitment to athlete welfare, the Enhanced Games will be a first-of-its-kind sporting event, available for free on the Roku Sports Channel in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Hosted by former NFL player and sports media star Emmanuel Acho, the Enhanced Games will also feature documented longevity expert Bryan Johnson as a Human Enhancement Analyst, in a production twist only the Enhanced Games can deliver. Participating athletes include the legendary Hafþór Júlíus “Thor” Björnsson, known for his role as “The Mountain” on “Game of Thrones,” British Olympic medalist Ben Proud, American Olympic medalist Fred Kerley, and Olympic weightlifter Boady Santavy. Deepening the intrigue are Olympic gold medalist swimmer Hunter Armstrong of the U.S. and sprinter Tristan Evelyn of Barbados, who will both take on the field as non-enhanced athletes. The Enhanced Games will take place in a purpose-built 2500 seat venue on the grounds of Resorts World in Las Vegas, with swimming, sprinting, and weightlifting events occurring in one arena. Las Vegas’ own The Killers are set to headline the closing ceremonies.
“We look forward to bringing Roku users across North America the excitement and energy of this one-of-a-kind competition,” Joe Franzetta, Head of Sports, Roku commented “Congratulations to Enhanced Games on their inaugural event, and we’re excited to work together to bring this live event to millions of viewers.”
“As a new and innovative live sports property, we are ecstatic to have Roku as our official North American partner,” Maximilian Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Enhanced commented “Roku provides us immense reach and helps establish a solid foundation as we aim to revolutionize sports with our inaugural event.”
The Enhanced Games endeavor to ensure the athletes’ safety through rigorous medical supervision and scientific oversight. Athletes have been monitored under an approved clinical trial for 16 weeks while training in the UAE. All athletes have the autonomy to compete either naturally or through the Enhanced Medical Program (clinical trial). For more details, see www.enhanced.com. The Enhanced Games is a Van Wagner production in association with Lionsgate Alternative Television.