Blizzard has made a deal with Disney for the Overwatch League. The finals of the eSports event will soon be broadcast on various Disney channels on TV. Therefore, gaming is entering the primetime lineup in the USA.
Overwatch League on TV: The Overwatch League will now also be broadcast on official TV channels. Following the contract signing, the playoff games and the Grand Finals of the Overwatch League will be aired on the networks of ESPN and Disney XD. Highlights will be shown on ABC.
Contract spans multiple years
The agreement between Blizzard and the ESPN and Disney networks spans multiple years. Upcoming seasons of the Overwatch League will also be seen on ESPN channels (ESPN, ESPNNOW, ESPN2, and ESPN3) and Disney XD.
Fans can also watch on apps: In addition to live broadcasts on TV channels, subscribers can also use the respective channel apps. The games will also be viewable via the ESPN App and DisneyNOW.
In addition to the broadcasting rights, Disney has been granted further rights. What exactly these are and what Disney will make of them remains to be seen.
Main broadcast continues on Twitch: Following a contract signing at the start of the Overwatch League, Twitch has acquired exclusive streaming rights to the Overwatch League. The streaming platform will therefore continue to be the primary destination for viewers.
The fact that Disney and ESPN were offered a contract is likely due to the different treatment of TV and online streaming. 63% of surveyed viewers would not want to watch the OWL on TV anyway.
Twitch also attracts viewers with additional offers. Those watching the Overwatch League on Twitch receive free Overwatch tokens, with which you can purchase skins. You only need to connect your Twitch account with your Battle.net account. Disney reportedly does not offer something like this.
A historic step: The broadcast of the Overwatch League on these channels marks the first live broadcast of an eSports event during prime time on a TV channel. It is also the first broadcast of a competitive gaming tournament on the also-involved channel ABC.
With this offer, Blizzard is presumably not aiming to siphon off viewers from Twitch to watch on TV. Since the interest of current fans lies on Twitch anyway, it is likely that the company wants to tap into new target audiences for the growing eSports sector.
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