In two weeks, the Dota 2 ESL One Frankfurt kicks off at the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, something that’s been on our radar for a while now.
A new, exciting development, however, is that ESL, the tournament’s organizer, has partnered with the German TV channel SPORT1 to broadcast the event live from the stadium.
Live premiere for eSports on SPORT1
SPORT1 (Germany’s leading 360-degree multimedia sports platform) and ESL (one of the world’s biggest esports companies) have entered into a partnership to bring live coverage for ESL One Frankfurt 2016, which is a huge Dota 2 competition.
The news was announced this week in a press release on the company’s website. This is a milestone for the esports and Dota 2 communities, as it is the first time an event like this will be broadcast live on German free TV.
Said Ralf Reichert, managing director of ESL:
“To distribute our content through traditional television channels isn’t just an opportunity that lies close to our hearts; it is also a milestone that when reached will help grow esports and its popularity.
With this partnership, we come one step closer to our mission of reaching every gamer in the world, which with the experience and competence of SPORT1 is sure to become a reality.”
SPORT1 will broadcast the event live from Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena on SPORT1.de starting on Friday, June 17. Across the whole weekend, the German TV platform will dedicate about 30 live hours of premium esports on its platforms.
The finals will be shown live on Sunday, June 19, starting at 8 p.m.
Ivo Hrstic, Director Digital at Sport1 GmbH, said of the partnership:
“By showing the final of the ESL One Frankfurt 2016, we’re offering our viewers an absolute esports highlight as a live premiere on German free-TV, plus the entire weekend on livestream. With the extensive coverage on our esports channel at SPORT1.de, we are already one of the leading destinations for esports fans in Germany.
We now want to utilize our potential as a 360° multimedia sports platform and offer this booming sport a genuine home — in collaboration with ESL as a strong partner in the esports segment.”
The event will, of course, also be broadcast on Twitch. ESL includes eight teams battling over who gets to take home the grand prize of $125, 000.
Esports media coverage and awareness on the rise
The more successful the competitive gaming industry gets, the more potential there is for major broadcasting companies to hop on the bandwagon. Not only has Blizzard, one of the biggest names in the industry, recently stepped up its “presence game” in the market by announcing its own esports broadcasting network, but we have also seen actual recent success stories coming from media powerhouses like Turner Broadcasting around esports events.
Additionally, with mainstream media getting involved in the esports industry, the awareness of competitive gaming is rising every day.
The momentum is there, the growing fan base is there, and now more and more prominent players are becoming visible to fans, which only means one thing: Esports is about to get even bigger!
Read Also: Will Esports Be Bigger Than Sports?
