BBC to start broadcasting its own Esports content

يوليو 29, 2017

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Do you need any more evidence on Esports popularity than being shown on the world’s oldest national TV network? BBC has just announced it will bring viewers four hours of live esports coverage every weekend for the next six weeks, in collaboration with BBC Sport.

The announcement came via BBC Three’s Twitter along with a teaser video giving us a look at what to expect in the coming weeks. BBC has signed up the Gfinity Elite League Series One, which focuses on Street Fighter 5, Counter-Strike and Rocket League. In addition to the live matches there will be editorial coverage on BBC Three, focusing on the players and their storylines.

The league involves 160 gamers competing every week in Gfinity’s West London Arena for a prize pool of £225,000. After the 10 weeks, an overall team will be crowned as will three individual game champions. Each game has its own day of competition. The teams are a mix of relatively unknown and seasoned veterans such as Method and Endpoint. All teams are required to draft from Challenger Series, a recurring season of free knockout competitions that allows anyone to take part. If players rack up enough points they have the potential to catch the eye of the Elite teams and get drafted.

BBC Three’s coverage of the Gfinity Elite League is starting three weeks into the competition, but it shouldn’t take long to catch up if you haven’t been following the action already.Fridays are for Street Fighter 5. Saturdays are for Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Sundays from 5pm are for Rocket League.

Back in 2015, BBC Three covered the League of Legends World Championship Quarter-Finals in London. This, however, marks the first full-on coverage of its kind on BBC network.