New Dota 2 TV series will focus on the road to The International 7

Turner Sports is broadcasting its first Dota 2 content in the run up to this year’s big The International tournament, as a part of the ELEAGUE esports brand on TBS network.

The network will air a new, feature-length series called ELEAGUE: Road to the International Dota 2 Championships, on TBS in August. The series is the company’s first expansion into Dota 2, and it follows three players and teams in the weeks leading up to and during The International 7. Early episodes will focus on the on the lead-up to Dota 2’s most prestigious event, when teams typically bootcamp in close quarters, while latter broadcasts will follow players during The International itself.

The players and teams that will take part in the series have not been announced. Turner has confirmed the participation of Dota 2 personality Toby “TobiWan” Dawson, as well as ELEAGUE’s host Richard Lewis. Since launching its Counter-Strike tournament in 2016, ELEAGUE has gradually expanded its reach and scope in esports, adding Street Fighter V and Overwatch to its portfolio.

Valve recently announced it’s replacing the Major system with a series of partnerships with third-party organizers. This first step into Dota 2 for Turner could suggest an interest in hosting tournaments for the game in the future. The company has already established a relationship with Valve through hosting the ELEAGUE Major for Counter-Strike earlier this year.

Dota 2 fans are starved for this kind of content, to connect with their favorite players is cause for celebration. Even if no ELEAGUE-branded Dota 2 tournaments come to fruition, Road to The International Dota 2 Championships is a reminder that esports is much more than tournaments. The show will debut on TBS on Friday Aug. 4 at 10pm ET. Subsequent episodes will be broadcast each Friday through Aug. 25.