Esports coverage on TV (e.g. Eurosport, ESPN) and on streaming services – a growing audience

guest · Apr 24, 2020

NASCAR's virtual race was the most-watched esports TV show to date
Fox has promised to cover the rest of the digital stock car series
March 25, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/2020-03-25-nascar-esports-racing-series-sets-tv-record.html

NASCAR and Fox Sports might have started airing virtual races out of pandemic-induced necessity, but it appears their efforts paid off. Fox has revealed that the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race on March 22nd drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, making it the highest-rated esports TV program to date.

There's little doubt that NASCAR and Fox had the advantages of both an audience with nowhere to go [...] this does show that people are willing to watch esports on TV in large numbers given the right circumstances, and suggests that more than a few people got their first taste of competitive gaming this past weekend.
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Fox Sports: FOX Sports to Air Complete eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

Additionally, according to rankings by Twitter interactions, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on FS1 was the #1 most-social TV program overall on Sunday. NASCAR-owned content related to the event also produced more than one million engagements throughout the weekend.

“This rapid-fire collaboration between FOX Sports, NASCAR and iRacing obviously has resonated with race fans, gamers and television viewers across the country in a very positive way,” said Brad Zager, FOX Sports Executive Producer, EVP/Head of Production & Operations.
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guest · Apr 24, 2020

Eurosport follows ESPN in airing an esports racing championship
April 23, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/eurosport-broadcasts-esports-racing-championship-173048614.html

A pan-European TV network is joining ESPN in broadcasting virtual races while motorsport is shut down due to COVID-19. Eurosport has signed a deal to broadcast Torque Esports’ The Race All-Star Series on cable, satellite, IPTV and streaming (both live and on-demand).
As the name implies, the rFactor 2-based championship pits conventional and virtual pro racers against each other online, including in a Legends Trophy event with famous drivers like Jenson Button and Jacques Villeneuve.

When there are effectively no live real-world competitions, sports networks have little else to air besides reruns and league business updates.
With that said, this could do still more to push esports into the mainstream.

The Eurosport expansion brings coverage to over 150 countries — even if viewership is lower than for a physical league like Formula 1, it could still bring esports to a much wider audience than before the pandemic.
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Discovery Inc.-owned Eurosport signs content partnership with Torque Esports

The new broadcast deal follows the recent announcement of Torque's content partnership with the Disney (NYSE: DIS)-owned ESPN. Torque Esports also has additional highlights content partnerships making the All-Stars esports events available via more than 70 additional networks, with a potential reach of 610 million homes.

The televised events feature the world's leading professional racers doing battle against top international virtual racers. Each of the 80+ weekly competitors is racing in their own home and joined together using the rFactor 2 racing platform.
"We're thrilled to welcome Eurosport as one of our broadcast partners. Having live coverage, direct into European homes is a great step forward for the All-Star Series," Torque Esports President and CEO, Darren Cox said.
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digmor crusher · Apr 24, 2020

In my opinion this is not a sport, call it egames.

guest · Apr 25, 2020

ESPN starts broadcasting the 'Road to the Madden Bowl' this weekend
It's putting a big spotlight on esports
April 25, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/espn-ea-road-to-madden-bowl-20-esports-093514043.html

Last year’s Madden 19 Championship Finale set new viewing records, and that was when there were actual sports available to watch. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has reshuffled real-life action and EA’s plans for the game’s championship series, but the new schedule will put the esports competition closer to the spotlight.

A Madden NFL Celebrity Tournament that has occurred in sync with the NFL draft will wrap up this weekend with a championship game at noon on Sunday set to air on ESPN2.
Meanwhile, videogame pros will participate in a last chance qualifier today and tomorrow, with Sunday games airing on ESPN2 as well.
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ESPN is hardly the only network diving deep into esports events right now, and Fox already aired a Madden tournament event in March. But putting up five straight hours of Madden coverage on a Sunday afternoon in April is exceptional — even if it is on ESPN2.
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guest · Apr 30, 2020

Twitch launches an esports directory to cater to growing streaming audience
April 30, 2020
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/30/t...ctory-to-cater-to-growing-streaming-audience/

Twitch is doubling down on esports in this new era of social distancing as a number of traditional sporting events have been cancelled. The company this week introduced a new esports directory on its site that will make it easier for viewers to find live matches, information on players, games with active competition leagues, a directory of players and more.

The goal, Twitch says, is on making Twitch easier to navigate with regard to this sort of gaming content — particularly at a time when its site is seeing a surge of growth due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
The new esports directory will help Twitch centralize its content in an easy-to-find and easy-to-navigate section on its site.

Viewers will also be shown a players directory at the bottom of the page that lets you see who’s currently live.
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Twitch says the directory will be populated with competitive and premier esports around the world, including ESL Katowice, Rocket League Championships Series, Twitch Rivals and the League of Legends World Championship, among others. Over time, Twitch plans to add more events, channels and pros to keep the content fresh.
In addition, users browsing the dedicated section will be recommended content based on their own viewing history, increasing the chance that they’ll find an esports stream they’ll want to watch.

Twitch’s new directory is an attempt to get ahead of the trend that will see many esports events shifted to digital-only formats.
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Twitch: A home for esports: Introducing the Esports Directory

guest · May 5, 2020

NBA 2K League Returns to Live Matchups on ESPN, Sportsnet
May 5, 2020
https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/05/05/nba-2k-league-returns-to-live-matchups-on-espn-sportsnet/

Dunks, crossovers, and blocks are back with the NBA returning to the hardwood – virtually. ESPN will be airing live NBA 2K League matches throughout the 2020 season on ESPN networks, starting on Tuesday, May 5 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. ET. In addition, the NBA 2K League is also coming to Sportsnet on Sportsnet One and Sportsnet NOW.
ESPN
ESPN2 will air NBA 2K League matches on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET through May 19.
ESPN telecast and streaming details for matches beginning May 26 will be announced at a later date.

NBA 2K League matches on ESPN2 will mark the first-ever linear telecast of NBA 2K League games in the U.S.
Every NBA 2K League match on ESPN’s platforms will also air live in the Caribbean, Latin America, Oceania, and Sub-Saharan Africa on ESPN2 or on one of ESPN’s digital platforms.
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Sportsnet
This agreement will mark the first-ever broadcast of NBA 2K League games on TV in Canada.
A joint venture between the NBA and video game publisher Take-Two Interactive, the NBA 2K League is the first official esports league operated by a North American professional sports league.
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ESPN: ESPN2 to Air First U.S. Linear Telecast of NBA 2K League Live Tonight

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