It’s been another busy week in esports as 2017 continues to shape up as the year where the battle for broadcasting rights looks set to really heat up. The latest deal again comes from CS:GO where ECS and YouTube have signed an exclusive deal. In other news, Events D.C., has made its move with sponsorship of NRG. Furthermore, both Norway and the UK have addressed the skin betting issue this week.
FACEIT and YouTube sign exclusivity deal over ECS
Arguably the biggest story of the week comes as the battle for exclusive broadcasting rights continues. This one was more surprising, as the ECS tournament was originally delivered as a partnership with FACEIT and Twitch. From the 25th March, the ECS matches will be played through YouTube. 
Ryan Wyatt, Global Head of Gaming Content at YouTube added: “This is our most significant investment into esports to date and illustrates our continued commitment to growing esports with the hundreds of millions of gamers watching YouTube each day
Michele Attisani, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of FACEIT explained: ”YouTube offers fans of the ECS an unmatched online viewing experience. YouTube is by far the most watched platform for gamers in the world and continues to innovate and lead on video technology, making it a great place for us to call our new home for the Esports Championship Series.”
Read the full article here.
Events D.C. puts Washington on the esports map
The official convention and sports authority of Washington have sponsored NRG Esports in their first foray into esports. In an extensive interview with Mashable, Events D.C. chairman Max Brown revealed plans for a $65m (£52.3m), 4,200-seat, state-of-the-art-arena” that is set to be ready in late-2018/early 2019 and will be “fully tailored and wired for esports”.
The partnership will see the Washington D.C. logo feature prominently on teams’ jerseys, and on the NRG website. Future bootcamps for teams under the NRG banner will also take place courtesy of D.C. Events.
It’s a very different type of sponsorship to the traditional kind and thus it’ll be intriguing to see how it pans out.
Read the full article here.
Norway Gaming Authority (NGA) and UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) address esports
Whilst most regions remain blissfully unaware or turn a blind eye to skin betting, both Norway and the UK have confirmed that they now realise skin betting as gambling.
That means that in both regions it will be under scrutiny from the relevant authorities. The NGA stated “Stopping illegal betting has always been a priority at the Gaming Board, especially where games offer is aimed at children and young people. We will therefore examine the issues surrounding gambling with skins, and consider sanctions against operators who offer this in Norway.”
Significant emphasis has been placed on the startling element of underage gambling and this was a sentiment echoed by the UKGC where they warned parents of the dangers of skin betting. UKGC CEO Sarah Harrison said: “Mums and dads could be giving away money to a child thinking they are playing a computer game when in fact they’re gambling and this is a real worry”.
Read the full article on Norway here.
Read the full article on the UK here.
