Twitter Set To Stream Esports
Twitter will live stream eSports following deals with ESL and DreamHack to gain access to 1,500 hours of eSports competitions.
The agreement will bring over 15 events from the ESL One, Intel Extreme Masters and DreamHack circuits to the social media platform. Viewers will be able to watch on web and mobile devices.
Along with these events, which include all nine upcoming DreamHack events in 2017, Twitter will be hosting exclusive live content produced by ESL, which includes a weekly 30-minute show featuring tournament highlights and behind-the-scenes videos, according to an email release.
The streams will begin this Saturday 4th March, with ESL’s Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, with pro gamers competing on ‘StarCraft II.’ The DreamHack events will begin with DreamHack Austin in April. These events, which go from 28th April through the 30th, will feature several titles, including ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,’ ‘StarCraft II,’ ‘Street Fighter V,’ and ‘Hearthstone.’
As with its other live stream deals, Twitter will sell TV-style ads against the live content. Plus, it will also offer original highlight and recap clips for advertisers to sponsor and promote on Twitter, where it will share in the ad revenue.
Anthony Noto, COO at Twitter, said in a statement: “eSports is growing at a rapid pace and we see this collaboration as a way to tap into the engaged audience of gamers that are already using Twitter as a primary source of content. By partnering with the leading esports companies like ESL and DreamHack, we look forward to bringing the best of esports live video and conversation together on Twitter.”
Johannes Schiefer, vice president social media and editorial at ESL said: “eSports fans are endemic to digital and this partnership with Twitter expands ESL’s reach for all of our major tournaments for fans around the globe. IEM Katowice is our most anticipated live event, and we are excited to bring premier content from this tournament and beyond to more fans in a premium experience”.
Marcus Lindmark, CEO and president at DreamHack said: “Twitter is a very strong eSports platform, where many of our fans and followers already engage with DreamHack events. This will be a shortcut for fans, as they can both watch and engage on the platform at the same time”.
