SPORT1 will broadcast major esports competitions from ESL and DreamHack on eSportsONE, a new dedicated 24/7 pan-European linear esports channel
Cologne/Stockholm 28th October, 2020: ESL, the world’s largest esports company, today extended their partnership with SPORT1, the leading German sports platform. The agreement will see some of the biggest ESL and DreamHack tournaments streamed regularly and live on SPORT1’s newly-created pan-European linear esports channel, eSportsONE, starting from November 3rd 2020 with ESL as central content partner for the region.
The deal announcement will see the broadcast of world-class Dota 2 tournaments, the StarCraft II ProTour, and the WarCraft III Pro Tour, live on eSportsONE. Previously, eSPORTS1 had been available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only, having become the country’s first esports channel back in January 2019.
As part of the deal, SPORT1 has been confirmed as the exclusive linear TV partner of ESL Dota tournaments, as well as the StarCraft II and WarCraft III ESL Pro Tour in Germany. Further titles will include „NBA 2K“ and „Rocket League“.
The channel will feature a mixture of live reporting from global tournaments as well as exclusive, original produced analysis formats, therefore accounting for over 1,000 broadcast hours showing top-class international esports tournaments per year.
“Having seen the success of eSPORTS1 in German-speaking countries, we are excited to join forces with long-term partner SPORT1 for the rollout of the linear channel eSportsONE across Europe,” said Frank Uddo, Senior Vice President Global Media at ESL. “ESL aims to serve the esports community all across Europe, and eSportsONE’s comprehensive and versatile portfolio makes it a great option to view premium esports content.”
Olaf Schröder, CEO of Sport1 Medien AG and Chairman of the Management Board of Sport1 GmbH commented: “We are pioneers and trailblazers in the growth market esports with its great opportunities: At the beginning of 2019, we launched the first esports channel in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with eSPORTS1 – an important milestone with which we have further expanded our positioning as a leading medium in the German-speaking esports community. Now we continue our esports success story internationally and are launching a new, ground-breaking project with eSportsONE as a pan-European eSports broadcaster. Our goal: We want to make esports even bigger in Europe in the future beyond the young core target group and to anchor it even more sustainably in society.“
More information and updates can be found at eslfaceitgroup.com and on the official ESL Twitter.
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About ESL Gaming
ESL Gaming is the world’s largest esports and gaming lifestyle company. Since 1994, the company has been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation on a global scale across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline esports competitions, and through premier gaming lifestyle festivals. The company operates high-profile, branded international leagues and tournaments under the ESL Pro Tour, including ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, DreamHack Masters, ESL Pro League, and other preeminent, stadium-size tournaments. ESL Gaming also produces and hosts DreamHack Open tournaments, ESL National Championships, grassroots amateur cups, matchmaking systems, and DreamHack’s gaming lifestyle festivals — which feature everything gaming under one roof. ESL Gaming is part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group. More information is available at eslfaceitgroup.com.
About DreamHack
DreamHack is all about entertainment for the digital generation, and has become a global phenomenon as the premier gaming lifestyle destination. Millions of fans tune in to DreamHack broadcasts each year, and the 24 hour-a-day festival weekends feature everything gaming under one roof. Attendees experience professional esports tournaments, amateur and varsity gaming tournaments, world-famous bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) LAN party, cosplay championship, panels, art, activities, expo, screenings, live music and more. In 2020, DreamHack merged with ESL to create ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports and gaming lifestyle company. The two organizations have been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation, across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline esports competitions and festivals.
ESL Gaming is part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group. More information is available at dreamhack.com and eslfaceitgroup.com.
About SPORT1
At the heart of the action with SPORT1: The leading 360° sports platform in the German-speaking region stands for premium live sport, proven sports expertise, and high-quality, entertaining reporting. Under the multimedia umbrella brand SPORT1, Sport1 GmbH, a company of the SPORT1 MEDIEN Group, combines all its TV, Online, Mobile, Audio and Social Media activities. In the TV segment, the sports media company based in Ismaning, near Munich, Germany, has a portfolio that comprises free-TV channel SPORT1 as well as pay-TV channels SPORT1+ and eSPORTS1, which are available on various platforms in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Moreover, SPORT1.de, one of Germany’s leading sports platforms, provides up-to-the-minute multimedia content as well as comprehensive livestream and video offers. SPORT1’s diverse offerings also include its own YouTube channel as well as gaming and esports output. In the mobile sector, the SPORT1 apps are among the most successful German-language sports apps.
About eSportsONE
The new pan-European channel eSportsONE launches on November 3, 2020, and is operated by Sport1 GmbH based in Ismaning near Munich. Following the successful launch of the first linear TV channel for esports in the German-speaking region with eSPORTS1 in January 2019, this is the first time SPORT1, the leading 360° sports platform in the German-speaking region, is implementing a pan-European project. The 24/7 program of eSportsONE comprises over 1,000 live hours per year of top-class international esports events as well as exclusive, self-produced analysis formats. The program content is prepared for the international target group by SPORT1‘s esports editorial team with experts and influencers from the English-speaking esports community. All esports events are broadcast with English commentary, while individual highlights are commented by the SPORT1 esports editorial team and broadcast from an own studio. Many of the most popular eSports titles are shown on eSportsONE, including Dota 2, Starcraft 2, Warcraft 3, NBA 2K and Rocket League.