Many dubbed 2017 as the year that esports broadcasting rights would be propelled to the forefront of people’s minds. ESL has already made moves in that regard, with ESL Pro League moving to YouTube Gaming exclusively as competition continues to mount on Twitch. Now the tournament organiser has revealed it will be significantly upping the content it pushes through the world’s largest community network, Facebook.
In a release published on their website, ESL reveals that all IEM and ESL One events will be broadcast in up to six different languages on ESL Facebook pages as well as multiple National Championships and online leagues. It also reveals that exclusive backstage content from ESL’s stadium events will go on Facebook Live where fans have the chance to interact directly with their favourite players and casters through AMAs.
Additionally, there will be a completely new and exclusive weekly stream focused on ESEA Rank S, in which viewers can follow the highest level of EU and NA ladder play in a show that mixes commentary with team audio. In addition to the 30 hours of weekly Rank S streaming, there will be a weekly half an hour show hosted by Mark “Boq” Wilson focused on Rank S and current occurrences in ESEA and CS:GO in general.
Johannes Schiefer, VP of Social Media at ESL commented: “This is a huge step toward expanding the reach of esports among mainstream audiences. Last year, ESL content generated over 2 billion impressions and reached over 200 million users on Facebook globally. Now, with the addition of live streaming for all major ESL events, as well as exclusive content around CS:GO and ESEA, we are excited to expand our reach to more audiences and build strong local communities by providing them with content they care about.”
Patrick Chapman, Gaming and Esports Partnerships at Facebook, added: “Rank S is defined by the world’s best CS:GO gameplay and it’s fueled by a knowledgeable, passionate fan base that craves great live matches, news and analysis. Delivering original video content to this audience ties directly to Facebook’s commitment to build the world’s community for people to play, watch and share games they love.”
Esports Insider says: ESL content on Emirates Airlines, Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and now Facebook. This is an exciting partnership and should help ESL’s reach grow even further.
