The already hugely successful esports sector is looking to conquer another frontier – the TV screen.
Esports streaming on Twitch and YouTube and other such platforms is a thriving model, with channels attracting fans by the hundreds of millions. But bringing esports to TV screens will bring in hundreds of millions of new devotees and help further legitimise gaming.
In the region, Starzplay last year signed up to broadcast the V10 R-League, a sim racing series that saw Rachel Stringer, Nicolas Hamilton and Ben Daly among other stars in the genre competing.
Further afield, the BBC linked up with video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) to air live coverage of the FIFA 21 Global Series esports competition on its digital platform iPlayer as well as BBC Sport website and app this year. The BBC has previously broadcast, among others, the Rocket League European Spring Series and League of Legends UK League Championships.
Nigel Crow, Sport Rights executive for BBC Sport said the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the massive appeal of esports, a fact not lost on traditional broadcasters who are fighting for eyeballs with online platforms. “What has caught broadcasters’ eye is the fact that gaming is bigger than music and video combined. That has been the case for a few years now but there has been a whole lot more information in the past 12 months that’s shone the spotlight on gaming and esports in particular.”
ESI DIGITAL SPRING
This story is from the May 2021 edition of Gulf Business.
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This story is from the May 2021 edition of Gulf Business.
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