Turner and IMG‘s esports tournament brand ELEAGUE has partnered with Riot Games to produce a one-hour feature show on League of Legends.
The special, titled ELEAGUE’s Esports 101: League of Legends, will premiere on October 19th at 11PM ET on TBS. It aims to deliver a “lighthearted, accessible introduction” to the popular MOBA title.
Craig Barry, EVP & Chief Content Officer of Turner Sports said the following in a statement: “League of Legends has a massive, global fan base and ELEAGUE welcomes this opportunity to both celebrate the game’s passionate community and provide additional opportunities to broaden its reach to a new audience. ELEAGUE continues to expand its content experiences and overall portfolio through a collective of partnerships that showcase the biggest titles in esports and their unrivaled community of fans.”
The show will premiere while the League of Legends World Championship 2018 takes place and will be hosted by both Bil “Jump” Carter and Kelsie “KayPea” Pelling.
Chris “Chopper” Hopper, Head of Esports in North America for Riot Games also commented: “We’re excited to share an introduction to League of Legends directly with the passionate ELEAGUE community. This episode will showcase the global phenomenon of League of Legends and should serve as a great primer as we head into the 2018 World Championship Finals on November 3.”
Esports Insider says: It’d perhaps have been better to premiere the show before the World Championship to educate prospective viewers ahead of the title’s flagship annual tournament. Nevertheless, original video game and esports programming going out on mainstream television is typically a good move and, especially with Riot Games involved, it should be a rather beneficial watch for newcomers to the game.